The Child of the Mother revised & beta'd
by christytrekkie
Summary: Willow's parents are not who she thinks they are.
1. The Child of the Mother

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters represented here, Joss Whedon along with Mutant Enemy does.

This is an AU Story for Season 3's Dopplegangland, hope you like.

This is a Willow centered fic.

Revised and Beta'd by WillowRosenberg also thank you to my Beta and collaborator, vidicon. Thanks for all of your help it is appreciated.

The Child of the Mother

Willow Rosenberg had always wondered in the back of her mind why her parents didn't take an active role in her life. Of course, that was the understatement of the century; her mom and dad were damn near non-existent in her life. Of all of the excuses that Willow came up with for their behavior, the truth of the matter was something that she couldn't imagine in her wildest dreams.

Thing was she never really minded staying at home by herself when she got older, but when she was a little girl the experience had been absolutely terrifying. She remembered begging her mother not to leave her. Sheila Rosenberg simply looked at her as if she were dealing with one of her patients and not her daughter.

"Willow you're going to have to grow up and be a big girl. Your father and I are doing important work and we can't take you with us," Sheila picked up her bags and started to walk out the door. She paused one last time, turned to Willow and gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "If you get lonely call one of your friends to come over to visit and you'll be fine until we return."

Sheila Rosenberg left her daughter crying as she went to the car where her husband waited for her. Willow shook herself from her bad memories and sighed. The past was the past and she had finally come to except that her parents were less than concerned for her. She followed her new friend to help her with finding the precious necklace she'd lost. Not knowing that her actions would change her life forever.

Willow sat down in front of Anya preparing herself mentally to help Anya with the spell she wanted to do, something about creating a temporal fold, to retrieve her lost necklace by reaching back into a place where it had been. She watched as Anya organized everything in front of her, some things she recognized immediately, the origin and uses of the others she had no clue about. She anxiously waited for things to start as Anya told her what she was doing and what her part in it would be. They began the chant.

Anya started taking a deep breath; she held her hands out palm up and over the plate.

"Eryishon, K'shala Meh-uhn, Q."

Then Willow followed suit reaching out with her hand, palm up keeping hers tip-to-tip with Anya's.

"Diprecht, Doh-tehenlo nu Eryishon Q.

"The child of the mother," Anya chanted as she picked up the bottle of Sacred sand and held it over the plate.

"The river to the sea," Willow finished as she took hold of the bottle as well.

Anya closed her eyes and smiled. "Eryishon Q, hear my prayer."

Willow closed her eyes as the light show and gust of wind began. She gasped loudly when the visions began. Visions of her and Xander as vampires, she watched horrified as a battle hardened Buffy staked Xander and her boyfriend Oz impaled her vampiric self.

Then the situation became even more bizarre. A force reached inside her mind and focused her visions elsewhere. A place that felt warm and familiar, like home. This couldn't be her home; she grew up in Sunnydale, didn't she? The visions she was having had her reeling. They were visions of being in the womb with someone she somehow knew to be her twin brother.

'What? I never had a brother…I am an only child. Wake up Willow. Wake up now,' Willow thought to herself, frantically.

But try as she might, she couldn't even move from her spot, let alone open her eyes or tear herself from the visions. The force of the wind increased into tornado-like conditions and Anya screamed as it tossed her about the room. An invisible force held Willow firmly in place as the temporal fold expanded and someone kept chanting in her head:

'The child of the mother…. Returns.'

'The child of the mother…. Returns.'

'The child of the mother…. Returns.'

Several minutes later, the winds and the light show dissipated and Anya got up from where she'd landed after her untimely flight. She frantically looked around for her necklace, knowing for sure it would be around somewhere. When she couldn't find it, she yelled for Willow, thinking that she might have picked it up. When she got no answer, she looked up and realized she was alone in the room.

"Well, shit!" Anya said, perplexed that she now had two lost things on her list.

In a place far beyond the hellmouth Willow lay unconscious in a pristine white bed oblivious to the new world around her.


	2. The Unknown

The Unknown

Disclaimer: See Intro to this story.

Thanks to Willow Rosenberg who beta'd this for me. Also thank you to my Beta and collaborator, vidicon. Thanks for all of your help it is appreciated.

She was going to kill Anya when she regained consciousness. Anya had told her that the spell was not in any way dangerous and yet she lay here not able to move or speak a word. Her body screamed in pain. Every muscle in her body ached beyond belief; it felt as if someone had meticulously skinned her alive and then tried to unskillfully sew it back onto her body. She wanted to moan or cringe, even drool. But all she could do was lay there and feel every excruciating moment of sheer pain.

She felt something across her chest aiding in keeping her still, as if she could move anyway. She had a moment of terror as she thought of the worst thing possible that could happen to her. Was she in a hell dimension? She'd read about them and all the horrors within them from Giles' off limit books and did not wish to ever visit there. The nightmares alone had been enough, thank you. 'Note to self: when Giles tells me not to read something because I'm better off not knowing, he might have a teensie-tiny point.'

She tried to use her other senses to try to decipher where she was. All she could hear was a lot of beeping noises and people walking around her talking too quietly for her to understand. Other than that, it was oddly quiet in wherever this place was. It was rather unnerving, reminding her of all the times her parents had left her home alone for days at a time, choosing to ignore her for their precious careers.

She quickly got off that train of thought, that way lie madness. She went on with her somewhat awkward investigation. She took in a breath through her nostrils and it smelled like… well it didn't have a smell at all. That eased her fears somewhat; if she were in hell, she would smell burning flesh or something putrid and intolerable to assault her nostrils.

She felt a hand brush her hair from her eyes and again got this odd sense of home, of safety. What the heck was that all about? She was in an odd place full of beeping noises and no smell at all and a strange person whose touch and presence should have made her nervous and frightened and uncertain. And yet it felt like home to her. Now she was sure that she had suffered some type of brain damage.

Before she could continue to explore her surroundings, she heard a swish and wondered just what had made that sound. Then two people began to talk above her.

"How's the patient, doctor?" said someone in a very distinct British accent.

"Her neurotransmitters and scans of the anterior cingulate gyrus of the brain show she still has a lot of pain, and for some reason our pain medications are not working, so were keeping her sedated as best we can. We have healed all of the bruises and other inuries she obtained from her… uhm arrival and I can't account for why she is in so much pain," As Willow listened, she became even more confused. Was she in a hospital?

"That's not acceptable Doctor, we need answers. We need to know why she suddenly dropped unto my Bridge and especially how. There are neither ships nor inhabited planets near enough for transporters to have brought her here. A civilization sufficiently advanced enough to send her here over greater distance than any known species can manage? A ship so cloaked we cannot detect it? We need to know where she came from and we need to know now. We need to know about her, and her origins, and if either or both form some type of a threat," Willow could hear the demanding tone in his voice and she felt sorry for the Doctor until the Doctor gave her response.

"Well, Captain as soon as I have those answers you'll be the first to know," she responded in an acerbic tone of her own and Willow laughed inside.

'Wait a minute Bridge, Captain, INHABITED PLANETS! Just where the bleeping heck am I anyway?' Willow tried to call out to let them know she was awake, but she couldn't make a sound and it frustrated her. Wherever she was Buffy and Xander would find out and come rescue her. She couldn't be far from where she'd disappeared from and help was surely on its way.

Buffy spent the time she ought to have spent in History class looking for Willow. She felt bad for making her best friend feel like she was nothing more than a sidekick that was only good as a footstool. A Willow-y Tonto to her Buffy-esque lone Ranger. She sighed to herself. If she only realized how despondent and unappreciated Willow had been feeling as of late, she would not have stepped all over her feelings and put her foot in her big mouth. she needed to apologize to her friend, big time.

Meticulously looking for her best friend in empty classrooms, nooks, crannies and all the places students frequented to skip class, all the while dodging Snyder's incessant probing for stray students, she finally gave up and headed for the library to inform Giles of Willow's continued absence. Heading down the stairs Buffy spotted the new girl trying to sneak from an empty classroom that looked as if a tornado hit it.

Buffy narrowed her eyes and snuck up behind the girl. Strange things in Sunnydale tended to be related to each other. "Hello," Buffy said in a deadly tone. What are you acting so guilty about?

Anya jumped ten feet in the air at the less than pleasant greeting and her tongue began to slip."I didn't make her disappear, it's not my fault you can't blame me for what happened to Willow."

Buffy gasped and closed in the gap between them and grabbed her by the throat. "What are you talking about? What's happened to Willow?" before she could interrogate her any further a little weasel tapped her on the shoulder. Buffy released her very tight grip on Anya and spun around to face Principal Snyder, looking very pleased with himself.

"Fighting again Miss Summers? That's detention for you," Anya took her opportunity and escaped running from the scene of the crime. Buffy started to pursue her, forgetting about Snyder in her anger and fear over Willow.

"Miss Summers!" Snyder yelled, stopping Buffy in her tracks. She turned back to him with an air of belligerence.

He walked up to her seemingly undisturbed by her intimidating stare and pointed a finger at her. "I will not allow you to terrorize the other students by your bullying ways or gang wars, that's detention for a week.I'll be calling your mother later. And if this behavior continues I'll have you expelled. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly," Buffy responded through clenched teeth and balled her fist trying hard to control the urge to beat this infantile man to a bloody pulp. It was so infuriating that he turned a blind eye to every evil that went down in this school but when it came to her, his eyes were on doublewide and he could see through lead. Damn it Superman couldn't even see through lead.

Snyder smiled wickedly as though he could read what she was thinking. He walked away from her with a pompous air about him. Before he disappeared down the stairway he called back up to her. "I expect you to get to your next class Miss Summers, I will be checking."

Buffy groaned; this was completely awful. She had to go find Giles and tell him what was going on and they had to find Willow. How was she going to do that with Snyder breathing down her neck? At that moment, the bell rang and everyone started for his or her next class. She spotted Xander in the crowd, grabbed him forcefully, and pulled him into the trashed room. Xander yelped and tried to keep his footing as she dragged him along the way.

He glared at her when she let go and faced him. "I can walk all by myself Buffy, been doing it since I was a toddler," He then looked around the room and whistled. "Wow Buff did you take some unknown frustration out on the poor room? What did the poor itty-bitty room do to you Buffy? OUCH!" Buffy took this moment to pop him in the head hard, but making sure not to use her Slayer strength.

"Willow's missing Xander and I believe this is the last room she was in." I need you to go get Giles and bring him here maybe he can find some clues as to what happened," Buffy explained curtly. "I'd do it myself but Snyder is on my case and I already skipped History and I'm on warning for fighting and until I explain to Mom that It's because Willow's missing she's gonna be pissed."

Xander sobered immediately at the thought of his best friend missing, he looked around the room to see if there was anything belonging to her.

"Buffy do you have any idea what happened?" Xander asked in a distraught voice, whatever happened in this room it looked as if a battle went down. He hoped Willow was all right.

"The only thing I know was that the new girl, I believe her name is Anya, had something to do with what happened, she said something about Willow disappearing. If Giles can't find any clues from the room I'll be on the hunt for the new girl and when I get a hold of her I'll definitely get her to talk," Xander almost backed up from the look Buffy had on her face, he was glad he was not the cause of that deadly expression.

"I have to get to my next class before Snyder decides to expel me, After that we'll meet in the library to compare notes with Giles," Buffy stopped as she saw Xander's tear filled eyes. He was trying to hide his anguish over Willow from her. "Don't worry Xander. We'll find our Willow. If I have to go through the hellmouth itself, we'll get her back." Buffy vowed.


	3. Unreal Reality

Unreal Reality

Just a little filler here before we get to the good stuff and Kudos to those of you who guessed where Willow was sucked into. Now can you guess season and episode from this little chapter? :)

Beta'd by WillowRosenberg. Also thank you to my Beta and collaborator, vidicon. Thanks for all of your help it is appreciated.

Buffy quickly headed to the library, with dirty looks from those she forced out of the way as they tried to leave the school. She was beyond worried for her friend and she hoped that by the end of the school day Willow might show up and all of this would have been some kind of big misunderstanding. However, her wish hadn't come true and as the hours went by the sick feeling in her stomach increased tenfold. Buffy burst into the double doors of the library and noticed Xander sitting at the research table with his head down looking like a lost little puppy and Giles was looking through books desperately trying to find something, anything that could help find Willow.

She went over to the table, placed a comforting hand on Xander's shoulder, and gave him a weak smile as he looked up at her with pleading eyes. She turned her gaze to Giles as she put on a determined face. "What do you have for me Giles?"

Giles looked up from his book and took off his glasses to clean them, which made Buffy's stomach do the flips as the dread washed over her. "The ingredients inside the room indicated that Willow and…," he trailed off. "What did you say her name was?"

"Anya," Buffy said through clenched teeth as her gaze turned from worried to deadly in a split second.

Taken aback by his slayer's almost tangible fury Giles continued with what he had found out. "Yes, of course, it indicated that they were trying to do some type of temporal summoning spell. What they tried to summon I have no clue. You will have to retrieve that information from Anya when you find her. She's the only one that knows what really happened to Willow. Maybe she'll know where to find her as well and how to get her back."

Buffy clenched her fist and closed her eyes, trying to will away the headache that was slowly forming; she hoped her best friend was all right. She had to find this Anya and fast, because the longer Willow was missing the less likely it became that they would ever find her. She turned on her heels and headed out of the library, her mind fully on the hunt.

Xander stopped her mid-stride and she turned around to face him. "Buffy, I…," Buffy put her hand up to stop him, she knew what he wanted and she couldn't have it. He would only slow her down and distract her from her mission.

"Xander you can't go with me you're needed here. Someone might have seen what happened to Willow. Please Xander you are my second front and if I can't find this Anya or get any information from her, you and Giles might be her only hope. I need you out there as well, asking questions I can't. I think if both of us work alone we can cover more ground, more quickly."

Xander nodded and then his face took on an air of menace. Buffy had only seen this once before when the hyena spirit had possessed him and he was out for blood. At that moment, Buffy felt sorry for anyone who tried to withhold information on Willow from Xander, on second thought she really didn't.

"Happy hunting Buff, beat the information out of the bitch if you have to," Buffy smirked at Xander's usage of the colorful metaphor as they both turned away from each other to accomplish their mission. Giles looked after them, a trifle worried about the damage they might cause. Damage not to whoever might be responsible for what happened to Willow, but to their own souls and consciences.

~%~

Willow woke with a start, disorientated and frightened. She looked around the room and noticed she was alone she tried to get up and found that she was no longer held down by the invisible force that had constrained her before. She slowly got up and gave the room another thorough visual inspection. Obviously some type of medical room, she thought to herself as she noticed the wall monitor that seemed to reveal someone's vital signs, probably her vital signs. She glanced at an object that could be a syringe of some kind but thought better of it when she did not notice a needle attached. "Ear thermometer,' she decided.

"Hello, anyone here?" Willow called out in a soft, raspy voice, more like a croak. Her throat ached. Apparently she'd been screaming, probably in pain, and then hadn't spoken for quite a while. Willow tried to swallow to ease the pain, but her mouth was quite dry. Realizing that no one answered or called out in reply to her summons, Willow started to walk towards something she hoped was a door. When she reached it, it opened with a swish, both leaves disappearing into the walls.

Willow stepped out into the corridor to find out where she was when a naked man came running by screaming rather joyfully that he was free and that no one would bind him in the confines of attire any longer.

Willow slowly backed into the room once again with wide eyes and mouth open and the doors swished closed once more. "Oh boy!" Willow stood there a few moments trying to calm her now rambling thoughts and ascertain what to do next. She also tried to suppress her blush and the very naughty notion that he'd been a rather handsome and, well, errr, quite well endowed man.

She desperately wanted to find out where she was but she was definitely not venturing out that door again. "I could get some type of info if I had access to a computer."

"Please specify your request," a polite feminine voice spoke.

Willow jumped a feet in the air, squeaking in fright and surprise. She spun around to locate the other person in the room and frowned when she found she was still alone.

"Hello?" Willow called out in confusion.

"Hello is not a request in Federation Standard, please specify request in Federation Standard," said the monotone womanly voice.

"Uhm, okay this is nice and weird," Willow looked into the air where the voice seemed to be coming from. With the oddity that was her life she wouldn't be surprised if she were talking to a ghost or an invisible girl, yeah that had to be it. Another invisible women. Hopefully this one was a bit more sane than Marcie Ross had turned out to be. Though she sounded like she'd been brainwashed. "I'm Willow, Willow Rosenberg? Who are you?'

"Greetings, Willow Rosenberg. I am the ships Automated Voice Address Computer System," came the calm, unruffled reply.

Willow swallowed. 'Okay surprise there! That was just about the last thing she was expecting, a talking computer.' Her eyes widened and her thoughts immediately turned to Moloch. "Please, don't let it be another Moloch-type thing! I so do not want to be the girlfriend of some large metallic woman."

"Ummm, that doesn't explain much, really. Ummm, mind if I ask a few more questions?" she asked tentatively.

"This system is fully equipped to instruct juveniles and children," the voice sounded slightly condescending to Willow, as if addressing someone of slightly limited mental capacity.

"Ri-ight," her eyes narrowed slightly in irritation.

"So Ship's Automated Voice Address Computer System, am I on a ship?" Willow raised an eyebrow intrigued by her situation. A navel ship would explain being present.

"That is correct, you are on a ship. Can you spell ship? S-H-I-P," the computer began.

"Thank you, I know how to spell simple words!" Willow snapped.

"Would you like me to assist you in spelling more complicated words?" the computer's voice asked.

To Willow it sounded dreadfully smug. She gritted her teeth and ignored the implied insult. "What ship am I on? A naval ship?"

"You are on the Starship Enterprise, Star Fleet registration NCC 1701 D, Flagship of the United Federation of Planets,"The computer told her. "Can you spell Federation?"

Willow's breathing quickened and she began to hyperventilate, her blood draining from her head and face, leaving her light-headed and near fainting. Willow had to steady herself on one of the biobeds before she could continue.

"Starship, as in space and vacuums and alien life forms?!" Willow tried to stay calm but failed miserably her voice squeaked treacherously and as she started to feel lightheaded both from what she'd learned of her surroundings and the lack of oxygen to her brain.

"Affirmative," Was the reply she got from the computer. "Do you know how to spell Enterprise?"

Willow gritted her teeth again. 'It's a computer, what did you expect, full consciousness? It definitely failed the Turing Test. Just a stupid computer that doesn't understand that I can spell and that I'm a little bit flustered by the fact that I'm just about in the last place I ever expected to be.'

Willow swallowed heavily as she looked down at the floor, deck she supposed she ought to call it. She wanted her feet grounded and rooted on the planet Earth and not off gallivanting in space on a spaceship with naked men running around in the corridors! No matter how handsome! And-and considerable better equipped than she'd ever thought about. And a stupid computer who treated her like she was just learning to write!

That was not even the least of what had her pacing back and forth with her breathing so fast that she was on the verge of passing out. She knew for a fact that the shuttle Enterprise could carry a grand total of eight people. This room alone was almost larger that the cargobay of Nasa's pride and joy. She closed her eyes. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto," she murmured.

"This vessel is currently orbiting the star designated AQ-S12_WDF-134-2345009, not the Planet Kansas, New Kansas, nor is it currently landed in the North American Administrative Unit of Kansas," the computer clarified. "Can you spell vessel? V-E-,"

"Thank you computer!" Willow almost shouted. 'How the heck were her friends going to find her in space?' Willow thought to herself. "Computer how far are we from earth and what's the date?"

The answer she got would have made her lose consciousness, but she never heard the answer as the swish of the doors opening caught her attention. A blue demon with what looked like some type of breathing apparatus attached to its mouth swaggered into the room as if it had been drinking. It turned towards Willow, smiled, and then rushed towards her.

Willow screamed.


	4. Willow In Wonderland

Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :)

Buffy searched the town with no sign of Anya Jenkins anywhere. The girl knew how to make herself disappear and that frustrated Buffy to no end. She prided herself on being an excellent hunter and it angered her that she couldn't track the girl down. It was as if she disappeared off the face of the earth or at least Sunnydale.

Buffy's mood shifted back and forth between extreme rage and utter sadness. What the hell had happened to her best friend? Where was she now? Was she all right? Buffy sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. In her distraction, she never saw the vamp as it tackled her to the ground taken advantage of her confusion. The bloodsucker held her to the ground and went in for a taste. Buffy quickly gained control and head butted the too sure of himself vamp.

She was extremely angry and needed a spot of violence to calm her unsettled nerves. Knowing that she had no time for a good fight, she begrudgingly beat the vamp to a bloody pulp and dusted him. It was all over to soon, and the skirmish didn't even begin to put a dent in her frustrations. However, it had put a resolve in her mission and she decided to pay a visit to another vampire.

~%~

Xander walked home with his head down, his investigation had turned up no new information on Willow. He'd talked to everyone at the school that he knew might have a hand in the supernatural. Larry, Owen, Jonathan and Amy, they all knew absolutely nothing.

They told him that they hadn't seen Willow since Percy tried to bully her into doing his paper for him. He then confronted the jock to see if he might shed some light on the situation, all he got for his troubles was a few aptly placed insults by a plethora of dumb jocks in the gym and a not so nice wedgie.

His mind had begun to think the worst, if something horrible had happened to Willow or if her life was in danger or taken. No, he thought to himself he would not let his mind go down that road. She was okay he could feel it in his bones. She's not dead just misplaced and he would find her.

"Don't worry Willow, will get you back," Xander looked up hoping that she somehow heard and believed him.

Then he slammed into the last person he expected and scowled. "You!"

~%~

Willow backed up frantically scurrying away from the scary blue demon rushing towards her. She screamed and held out her hands. To the demons surprise and her own it went flying across the room. It hit the wall hard and slid down into an unconscious stupor.

Willow looked at her hands and then at the unconscious form on the floor. "How'd I do that?"

Willow frowned and came closer to the beast that almost attacked her. She bent down to get a closer look at it. She'd never seen a demon like this before but she was sure that even though she lived in Sunnydale, on a particularly active hellmouth, that she had yet to see all the things that go bump in the night. Nevertheless, why would it need a breathing apparatus? Maybe it was a space demon and it needed help breathing this atmosphere.

"Okay Willow that is way too far-fetched, demons aren't smart enough to think of such things. Space Demons? You've been watching too much Dr Who with Xander," as her thoughts came back to her friends back home, her sadness returned vigorously.

She quickly got up and put her resolve face on. She knew her friends were looking for her and she would find a way to help them find her.

She looked around the mini sickbay for anything that might help her with her situation. Moving quickly, before the demon had a chance to regain consciousness she entered the office she'd found. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the computer on the desk. She didn't have anything against the talking female computer, but it reminded her too much of Moloch and she felt more comfortable getting the answers the old-fashioned way.

She sat down in front of it to turn it on and realized that whoever had used it before her had left it on. Security seemed overly lax around here she thought to herself all the while thanking whoever would be so careless. She quickly began to read the notes of Dr. Beverly Crusher.

"A virus that works on the system as though it were alcohol making the victim act as if exceedingly intoxicated, limiting rational thought and diminishing feelings of responsibility and morality. It's transmitted through touch." Hmmm, that would explain the extremely naked guy running through the halls, but not why there would be demons aboard a spaceship," Willow looked perplexed.

Then a thought occurred to her and she slapped her hand into her forehead for not thinking of it before now. She was on a spaceship for heaven's sake.

"Computer what species is the unconscious person in the other room, and where is he from?" Willow waited for the answer with her eyes closed slowly becoming ashamed of herself for leaping before she looked.

"He is of the species Benzites who hail from the federation planet Benzar," the computer said unemotionally.

"Well isn't that just great, I may have severely injured a sentient being thinking he was a demon," Willow sat there for a few seconds with her head in her hands. She really needed to find someone in charge before she caused irreparable damage to something or someone.

"Computer where is the captain of this ship?" Willow asked.

"The captain is on the bridge," Willow stood with a purpose heading for the exit and then she stopped abruptly.

"Uhm, yeah where is that located exactly?" Willow asked sheepishly.

"Guests are not allowed on the bridge without permission or escort." The computer said with what Willow thought to be a firm tone.

"We'll just see about that now won't we?" Willow sat down at the doctor's computer screen and began to hack into the system. It took her a lot longer than it would have if she was back in Sunnydale but she eventually got the information she needed and headed to her destination.

Dodging the touch of several crazed drunken people Willow made her way to one of the turbo-lifts. Willow watched in amazement as she moved along the buff-colored corridors, several people were just making out in the halls in front of everyone. One man was using some type of laser device to shave his eyebrows off completely while another was taking a piss on everything in sight as if he was a dog marking his territory.

Willow shook her head and nearly had to dive out of the way, as several people ran out of what looked like a bar. She got a glimpse of what had them running for the hills screaming, but her mind had to be playing tricks on her. It just had to be. But to be sure she entered and stared through the huge windows, gaping in disbelief at the giant meteor rock that was barreling straight for the ship.

"Oh! Oh My God!"


	5. Willow Go Round

Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :)

Previously on Child of the mother.

Dodging the touch of several crazed drunken people Willow made her way to one of the turbo-lifts. Willow watched in amazement as she moved along the buff-colored corridors, several people were just making out in the halls in front of everyone. One man was using some type of laser device to shave his eyebrows off completely while another was taking a piss on everything in sight as if he was a dog marking his territory.

Willow shook her head and nearly had to dive out of the way, as several people ran out of what looked like a bar. She got a glimpse of what had them running for the hills screaming, but her mind had to be playing tricks on her. It just had to be. But to be sure she entered and stared through the huge windows, gaping in disbelief at the giant meteor rock that was barreling straight for the ship.

"Oh! Oh My God!"

Willow ran out of the bar and quickly made her way down the long corridor. She had to get to the captain quickly. Surely, he knew there was a big rock coming towards his ship. Nevertheless, with everyone walking around like drunken idiots, Willow wanted to be completely certain that at least the people on the bridge had everything under control. She wouldn't want to die before her friends could find her now would she?

The corridor seemed to go on forever and Willow began to think she might not make it in time before the ship went 'boom'. After several long seconds Willow finally reached what she thought to be an elevator. She walked towards the door and it opened automatically for her. She entered and looked around for a control panel or button that might have her destination but didn't find either. She turned round and round looking but there were no buttons anywhere.

"What kind of elevator is this?" Willow growled in frustration thinking that she had no time for this.

"This is a Mark Eleven A-3 Turbolift, designed at Utopia Planetia Shipyards as the main mode of inter-deck transportation on Galaxy-class starships. Design parameters-" The computer continued in its monotone female voice.

"Yes, thank you computer," Willow cut off the voice and rolled her eyes sighing. It was obvious that a person had to run things by talking to the ships computer. Haven't these people ever watched Aliens or Terminator? It was never a good thing to let computers and robots have so much control and power, it never ended well. She knew that from experience.

Willow looked up and spoke into the air. "I would like to go to the bridge computer."

Willow braced herself for the slight jerking motion that elevators have when they began to move, but none ever came. If it wasn't for the hum she heard she'd think she wasn't moving at all. She soon came to a stop and the doors came open and she heard sirens going off and saw a red flashing signal that bathed most of the bridge in an eerie red glow.

It eased her fears somewhat to know that at least some of the crew knew that something was wrong. She just hoped it wasn't just the drunken brawling in the corridors that had set of the alarms. She stepped onto the bridge and her heart sank,only four personnel were present. Two of them were working frantically on several different stations that she was sure was meant to be run by more than one person, even if the computer were more advanced than any she'd ever seen.

She could tell just by looking at them that the two sitting in the main chairs were clearly intoxicated. Her heart went in her throat at that moment. She started to say something but thought better of it. First off there was too much yelling back and forth over the intercom mainly focused on someone named Wesley Crusher, second the big giant meteor rock she saw earlier was clearly visible in the huge forward window and looked to be nearly on top of them. She could see every pit and crater and escaping jet of gas and ice.

She listened intently and heard a young man say that Data could assemble something faster so they could regain control of the ship. She wondered what sort of program data they were planning to use and if it required some sort of restoration to a navigational computer program.

Then she noticed the more sober one take action immediately and grab the strange pale drunken one who was slouched in a chair, hoist him to his feet and push him towards the turbo-lift. She cringed when he noticed her and stopped.

Riker looked at their new arrival and scowled. "What are you doing on the bridge? Never mind just stay here and don't touch anything!" he didn't wait for an answer and quickly brushed pass her. Rolling his eyes all the while hoping that she would not get in the way and that the captain in his drunken state could handle the situation until they got things under control. When this was all over, he was going to implement some better security measures to keep people who did not belong off the bridge and out of Engineering. Actually, he was beginning to understand the Captain's view about civilians and children on board a starship.

Willow watched him leave and smiled weakly as he gave her a last look as the turbolift doors closed. A look that clearly said stay out of the way or else. she really didn't want to find out about the 'or else'. She had a feeling that grounding would be only the beginning and would involve a cell.

Captain Picard stood and turned quickly having heard Riker's outburst and nearly lost his footing because of it. He braced himself on his chair and then wobbled over to the intruder.

"What are you doing on my bridge? I am the captain of this bridge and I do not allow children onto my ship," He frowned as he thought on his words. "T'other way round," his speech was slurred and she could hear that he was trying to control it, as if he resented the fact. Then he negated the image of control by flicking her nose with his index finger. "Get off!" he stomped his foot and pointed to the turbo-lift never taking his eyes off her.

Willow looked at him horrified, not because he was ordering her off the bridge but because he was the captain that she was searching for and he was drunk as a skunk! Oh, she was doomed, and so was the ship, and the nice lady in Sickbay...

She gasped as the captain grabbed her by the arm and dragged her with him back onto the turbo-lift. "Where are we going captain? Shouldn't you stay on the bridge?" She asked more than a little worried at his actions.

"I'm taking you back to sickbay, I need to talk to Beverly about the cure to this god-awful disease," He cleared his throat. "Computer, Sickbay."

Willow tried to feel the lift taking off again, but failed. The only way she knew the lift moved was the slight whoosh when the door opened and the passage of time. The captain dragged her out of the lift, his hand still on her arm and they made their way back to sickbay.

Dr. Crusher was present and Willow watched in astonished horror and fascination as the captain checked his uniform, made a little bounce that reminded her of all the annoying jocks who hit on the cheerleaders and then he began flirting with the doctor. She had to suppress a giggle at their banter even though her hope of survival was fast waning.

As she listened to the captain and doctor talk about a cure, in between the flirting and innuendo,she started to feel funny. She watched dizzily as they left her to go into the other room and administer the cure to someone.

When Dr Crusher and Captain Picard returned from administering the cure to Geordi and to themselves, their uninvited and unexpected guest was not where they had left her.

Dom, dom, dom, where oh where has our sweet Willow gone?!

Reviews are the best thing since sugarplum fairies so go ahead make my day. :)


	6. Friends, Enemies and Misconceptions

Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :)

Previously on Child of the Mother.

His mind had begun to think the worst, if something horrible had happened to Willow or if her life was in danger or taken. No, he thought to himself he would not let his mind go down that road. She was okay he could feel it in his bones. She's not dead just misplaced and he would find her.

"Don't worry Willow, will get you back," Xander looked up hoping that she somehow heard and believed him.

Then he slammed into the last person he expected and scowled. "You!"

Xander advanced on her with all intentions of causing bodily harm. She had caused possible harm to his best friend and he didn't care at this moment that she was a female. She was going to pay for what she did to Willow.

Anya backed up quickly, holding her hands up in surrender, frantically trying to get Xander to slow down so she could talk. The look in his eyes made her want to break out into a run, but she was tired of running and hiding.

"Xander wait, I came back to help," She said quickly as Xander was nearly upon her. He scowled at her and stopped his predatory chase.

"Why should I believe you? Who knows what you actually did to Willow and you could be trying to do the same to me," Xander balled his fist in anger ready to pounce on her, to punch her out if she made one wrong move.

Anya sighed; coming to this town was the first of many mistakes that she had made lately. She wasn't lying; she was tired of running and being hunted by the slayer. There were many narrow escapes where the slayer was concerned and she had to hide quickly in, to put it mildly, less than stellar surroundings to get the persistent demon huntress off her scent. She thought the boy would be her best bet for her to come and explain what happened without being killed, but if the murderous look in his eye was any indication, she may have misjudged the situation. Maybe she should have talked to the librarian first.

"Look Xander I swear I wasn't trying to hurt Willow, I just wanted to use her to get something that belonged to me," Anya had to back up quickly as Xander advanced upon her not liking what he heard.

"So you're telling me that you used my best friend in some dangerous spell that may have killed her for your own personal gain. You're right that's nothing, all's forgiven," he said sarcastically as he reached out, grasped her slender throat and tried to strangle her.

"Xander! Please, I came back to help, I promise Willow is not dead she's just... somewhere else," Anya choked out as Xander's hands started to squeeze her airway. At least she hoped so, cause if she wasn't she would be next on the list. Xander was angrier than she'd thought he'd be.

Xander deflated, he needed his yellow crayon friend back and killing Anya wouldn't get him that. Without so much as a word, he let got of her neck, glaring at her as he flexed his fingers in warning. Anya swallowed, her eyes wide with fear. Then Xander yanked Anya by the arm and dragged her back to the school. They had to talk to Giles.

~%~

Buffy burst into Angel's mansion hell bent on getting him to help find Anya; she stopped short almost stumbling to the ground in shock when she found him talking with Faith. It took all of her strength to squash the feelings of jealousy and betrayal she felt at this moment.

"Angel?" Buffy said, her voice rather weak and more emotional than she would have liked it to be.

Angel and Faith looked over at her in surprise. Angel looking guilty and Faith well she had a look that screamed irritation at the interruption. Buffy closed her eyes and took a breath, she had to focus on the mission right now and that mission was finding her best friend. She'd be damned if she let petty jealousy get in the way of that.

"Buffy, is there something wrong?" Angel walked away from Faith, who rolled her eyes. Angel walked up to Buffy sensing something bad had happened. Which meant it must be Tuesday.

Buffy opened her eyes and glared at Angel. "Willow's disappeared and we need your help in finding the one that…," Faith mistakenly interrupted her.

"Reds gone off the radar, are you sure she didn't need some space from you and the dweeb?" Faith smirked as Buffy rushed towards her in anger and Angel caught her mid flight.

"Buffy if what you say is true there is no time for little spats right now, leave it," Angel scolded.

Buffy glared at him and pushed herself away from him. "Are you going to help or not?"

"You know I will Buffy, Willow's my friend too," Angel guiltily remembered he'd never thanked her for returning his soul, finding her would be a start. He'd never apologized for killing her fish either, the least he could have done was buy her some new ones.

Buffy gave him a look as if she wasn't sure, then looked at Faith, then back at Angel. He avoided her eyes. God she felt like a third wheel in her supposed boyfriend's place, wasn't that rich. "I'll meet you back at the school library," Buffy turned and walked out, wondering if it was time to reevaluate the priorities in her life. "Romeo and Juliet my ass," she muttered glumly.

~%~

Giles was knee deep in his books but without knowing the words of the spell Anya had used to spirit away Willow, he was no closer to finding the answer to Willow's disappearance let alone getting her back. Giles sighed in frustration and took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose, when Xander burst into the library dragging a girl behind him.

"I take it this is Anya," Giles raised his eyebrows at the clear finger marks on the girl's pale throat and the rough way in which Xander pushed her towards the table, his hands grasping her upper arm 'd never known Xander to be so forceful towards a female but then again Willow had never been presumed dead or missing before either. Who knew what was going through Xander's mind.

Xander nodded and sat Anya in a chair forcefully. "Start with the explainy!" Xander stood behind her with his arms crossed like a menacing bodyguard that would strike with one false move. Anya ducked down fearing for her safety.

Anya started to explain what happened when Giles stopped her. "We should wait for Buffy, she'll hopefully be reporting in shortly. No doubt considerably annoyed that she has been unable to fulfill her mission."

They waited for several minutes; to Anya it felt like an eternity as she cowered nervously in her chair as Xander stood behind her, breathing heavily as he controlled his anger. After about ten minutes of strained silence filled only by Giles putting away books and placing them in piles, Buffy walked in with Angel and Faith at her heels. Buffy narrowed her eyes at the prize sitting in front of Xander and she had to control the urge to rip this girl's heart out.

"Well looky what we have here, dead girl sitting," Buffy walked up to Anya quite ready to do some serious damage to the girl whether they got Willow back or not. The latter would make her a little more dead than alive though. Anya saw the barely constrained anger and swallowed painfully and fearfully.

Giles looked at Anya earnestly but without much pity. "I think it would behoove you to explain yourself now before things start to happen that I'll have no control over."

Anya involuntarily shivered and began her tale of how and why she came here and what happened the day Willow disappeared, as she spoke several eyes widened at the description of the tornado like winds that tossed her across the room. All of them wondered if Willow was seriously hurt during the turmoil. Giles had other things on his mind, specifically the wording of the spell Anya had used and what she was looking for. All watched as the watcher went into his special stack of off-limit books and began to look through them.

As Giles didn't explain what he was looking for, patience among the group began to wear thin.

"Giles, what gives? What are you looking for?" Buffy finally asked in exasperation.

Giles looked up and began to clean his glasses again. "We might have to do the spell again and open the portal to find and retrieve Willow. We might have to follow her."

"What?" Anya, Faith and Angel asked, shocked and frightened, unwilling and fearful of what effect it would have upon them.

Buffy and Xander looked towards each other then looked back at Giles, their decision already made.

"Let's get it done," they said in unison.


	7. Shameful Deeds

Brought up in rating for the slight sexual situation, just a little making out nothing explicit. (Femslash)

Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :)

Willow walked down the corridor, watching people walk as if in slow motion. She began to giggle drunkenly as she watched a man do cartwheels down the hall and knock himself unconscious as he hit the wall, head-first. She gently held her head as it began to swim; she leaned against the wall to steady herself as she began to sway and loose her balance.

She looked up to see the most beautiful creature in her life, all curves in lace. She had seen many people in uniform today, and nemerous naked ones. But the two thin strips of lace that this woman wore, that hid and yet revealed, tantalized and tempted, was unlike anything she'd seen before. The woman had a helmet of short cropped blonde hair that fit her beautifully rounded features. She had a demeanor of toughness, and aura of strength and self sufficiency that surrounded her but never lost her feminine glory and Willow was breathless at the sight of her.

Willow watched in a haze as the lovely woman walked seductively up to her. The blonde studied her for a long moment, her gaze filled with need and heat, a gaze that made Willow feel like she was slowly undressing her. Then without so much as a warning the woman caressed Willow's face, came intimately closer to her body, breast touching gently. Brought her face closer and gave her a slow passionate tongue filled kiss.

Willow melted into her embrace, her mind shutting down at the new feeling within her body. Without realizing it, she began to respond and kissed the woman back just as passionately, moaning as the feelings running through her began to be too much for her body. She reached up and gently ran her fingers through the blonde's hair as the kiss intensified and she felt hands all over her caressing places she hadn't let Oz explore yet.

"Tasha! What are you doing?" Willow heard a male voice scream out through her passion induced haze. She moaned indignantly at the loss of the warm soft lips that caressed and sucked on her own. She looked wantonly at the woman and noticed the lascivious smile that was no longer directed at her but at the man who had spoken.

Willow turned and noticed a horrified Captain and Doctor rushing towards them with objects that Willow thought looked like ear thermometers. The notion of the both of them rushing through the corridors measuring people's temperatures made her giggle.

"Ah, Captain why do you always interrupt my fun?" Tasha pouted as the captain slowly pulled her away from the young girl.

The Captain sighed and shook his now clearing head. He was sure that Tasha Yar would regret this day a lot more than the rest of his crew. He felt for her and the inner turmoil she would have to deal with once she sobered.

He stepped aside as Beverly administered the cure, first to Tasha as she tried to push pass them to get to the object of her attraction.

Beverly wondered how the normally controlled Security Chief would deal with the memories of these events, wincing in memory at her own actions earlier that day. Then she turned to the redheaded girl looking at Tasha with longing in her eyes and kiss bruised lips. Beverly stopped a moment as she felt a brief moment of familiarity and kinship with the teenager standing there, lost in a lustful fog. She quickly shook it off thinking it was some lingering affects of the disease going around. She then administered the cure to the young red head.

Willow giggled as she heard the hiss of the hypospray and felt the contents going into her arm. "That tickles," Willow said as her head began to clear and then the horror of what just happened began to sink in. Willow's face began to turn several shades of red in a span of a few seconds before settling into a deep beet root color. Willow groaned in mortification.

If it weren't for the circumstances surrounding the situation Beverly would have laughed. She gently ushered Willow back to sickbay as the Captain did the same for Tasha as they headed towards the bridge. She did point out the security officers state of undress and Picard nodded to signify he had understood.

Beverly sat Willow unto the medi-bed and began to check her over with her medical tricordor for any lasting effects of the disease. If the look on her still red face, and her hugely embarrassed expression were any indication, she would say that the effects of the disease were slowly dissipating, but Beverly wanted to make sure that it was going away.

Satisfied with the readings she put the tricorder away and tried to get the young girls attention, but Willow would not even glance up. She was to busy examining her own feet to notice that the doctor was trying to get her attention.

"How are you feeling?" Beverly asked feeling nothing but sympathy for the girl and what she must be thinking about what just happened.

Willow finally looked up at the Doctor and Beverly thought it couldn't be possible, but the girl actually turned a deeper color red. "Well I… uhm.. I I mean my head feels less hazy now and I uhm my thoughts are clearer than a few minutes ago and Oh man! what did I I mean I shouldn't be that way but I think I might be a little gay but I can't be gay because I have a boyfriend, Oz and he's a hot musician, and a guy! Not a hot curvy blonde bombshell like the woman I was kissing and liking it! Oh God, what am I going to do!"

Willow finally stopped her babble fest, hiding her face in her hands, perplexed about everything that just happened. How could she explain what she'd done and how it made her feel? She finally looked up at the doctor and noticed the doctor's mouth was wide open in surprise. Probably wondering how the young girl had said all that without once taking a breath.

Beverly stood there for a moment not knowing what to say or do. "You have to realize that your inhibitions were lowered greatly by this intoxicating disease and it made you do things you wouldn't normally do." Beverly tried to comfort the girl somewhat.

Willow resumed watching her feet in shame. "I have to go and administer the antidote to the rest of the crew I need you to stay put young lady," Beverly said in a motherly tone. 'Where did that come from?' she asked herself. She decided it had to be the forlorn and frightened demeanot of the girl.

Willow agreed and watched the doctor leave sickbay to tend to her duties. She sat there for what seemed like an eternity until the Doctor and the Captain returned.

Captain Picard came up to her with a forced smile on his face. "Well young lady I might say that you have caught us with our britches down. I was hoping to greet you under better circumstances."

Willow slightly smiled in amusement. "Well, I don't believe that I've put my best foot forward either, making out with one of your crew," Willow said and then regretted it as a fierce blush rose up her face again at the memory and a thoughtfull look crossed the Captain's face.

"Besides I didn't even know that they had built a spaceship like this, I guess our government has been keeping things from the general public more than I originally thought."

The Captain and Doctor looked at each other at the young ladies choice wording. The captain put his attention back to her. "Young lady," the captain sighed and touched his temple in aggravation at himself. "May I ask your name so I can stop calling you young lady?"

Willow looked worried sensing the serious tone in the captain's voice. "My name is Willow, Willow Rosenberg.

"Nice to meet you Willow, I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Can you answer a question for me and try to stay calm?" The captain asked cautiously.

Willow swallowed nervously and shook her head in the affirmative, afraid that her voice would give away how much the captain was scaring her now.

"Very well. Miss Rosenberg, What year is it?" The Captain waited all the while clearly expecting something to be off about her answer.

Willow's eyes were wide in fear not liking where the conversation was going, she had watched many coma victim movies where said victim thought it was a certain time only to be off by several years. By the expression on Captain Picard's face being off by several years may be a bit of an understatement.

"It's the year 1999. Isn't it?" Willow asked weakly.

The Captain felt tired physically and emotionally, with all he had to deal with today with almost losing his ship and crew. He would now have to tell this young lady that she was displaced in time. He knew this would not go well.

I'm afraid, Willow that you are in the 24th century, the year 2364," The captain said kindly.

Willow stiffened and began to hyperventilate and then promptly fainted. The captain caught her before she could hit the floor and gently laid her unto the medi-bed.

His communicator beeped and Riker relayed a message that he really didn't want to hear.

"Captain I think you better come to the bridge, we have six more surprise quest that just dropped unto the bridge," The Captain ran his hand over his head in frustration, when it rained it poured, he thought to himself.

"Captain, one of them is dead," Riker said sadly.

Timeline for season 1 TNG

2364 41000.0–41999.9 The Next Generation season 1

Timeline For Buffy Doppelgandland season 3

Doppelgängland 23rd February 1999 '3ABB16' US TX on WB

Today

None


	8. We're off to see the uhm Willow?

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Star Trek: The Next Generation. They Belong to Joss Whedon-Mutant Enemy and Gene Roddenberry-Paramount.

Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :)

Anya, Faith and Angel were nervous and really didn't want to try what Giles had suggested and all for completely different reasons. Faith made her bed with the mayor and was now content with being his double agent. How was she going to be his eyes and ears if she went through some portal to rescue Willow, that fucking insufferable, sanctimonious, holier-than-thou goody two shoes?

Angel was afraid more than anything else. Afraid of what traveling through this portal might do to him, where they might end up. He could survive in many environments, if not happily, but the others could not. He also knew he was still suffering from the effects of his last portal experience. He wanted to get Willow back just as much as anyone did, but he didn't want to be stuck in another hell dimension fighting for his life and he definitely didn't want to see Buffy go through what he went through. There had to be another way that wasn't so foolhardy and dangerous.

Anya just wanted to leave; she'd given them what they needed. Why did they need her anymore? They could do the spell without her. Truth be told she feared for her life, if she was wrong about Willow being alive she most definitely wouldn't make the return trip because the slayer would kill her, most likely in a gruesome and painful manner. If she didn't Xander definitely would. She really started to regret her decision to come back here and help, even if her decision to do so was inspired by fear. one more mistake in a whole list of them.

"I don't think this is a good idea," The wary trio said in unison and glanced at each other wondering why they agreed on this particular point.

Buffy and Xander glared at them in anger while Giles looked slightly more sympathetic and understanding of their indecision. He knew this could very well kill them all and if they made it through alive, and the conditions on the other side weren't immediately lethal, and if they found Willow, he wasn't sure he could get them all back. 'Not that I would mind Angel to end up ash,' He admitted to himself.

Buffy stepped forward her features hardening as she came menacingly closer and Anya took several steps back ready to bolt at first sign of her life being in danger. Buffy looked between Angel and Faith with no signs of kindness or warmth in her eyes.

"If you're not with us you two can get the hell out and go resume whatever relationship you were forming," The coldness in her voice made Angel cringe.

Then she turned towards Anya as if she were her prey. "You on the other hand are not going anywhere except with us, so sit down, shut up, and deal with it!" Anya did as Buffy told her hoping beyond hope that she would make it out of this alive.

Xander smiled conspiratorially, he loved it when Buffy ripped Angel a new one. He relished and basked in the hurt look on dead boy's face. Things were looking up. Or they would, once they'd recovered Willow.

"How much longer before you're ready Giles?" Xander asked feeling some hesitation on the watcher's part.

Giles rubbed his temple anxiously. "Are we really going to do this?" He asked the group. They had no idea if Willow was alive or dead or where the portal had taken her for that matter. It gave him pause how utterly unprepared for this they were. It seemed that Buffy and Xander had complete tunnel vision right now and were beyond being reasoned with.

He also knew if he didn't help them, they would go off half cocked and do it on their own and probably get themselves killed in the process. A gentle hand on his weary shoulder brought Giles out of his thoughts. He turned to see his teary-eyed slayer who was like a daughter to him.

"Please Giles, its Willow we can't leave her to whatever is happening to her!. We have to go get her back," She pleaded. The plea went straight to Giles' heart and he relented immediately. He nodded and began to gather and prepare the final ingredients for the spell. Settings things up in the proper place around the circle he looked at them. "It's ready."

They all gathered forming a circle holding hands, Angel glumly, Anya fearfully, Faith begrudgingly; they sat on the floor and began the spell.

Giles the mind of the group began. "Eryishon, K'shala Meh-hun, Q."

Anya reluctantly followed suit. "Diprecht, Doh-tehenlo nu Eryishon Q."

"The Child of the mother," Angel chanted as he poured the bottle of ingredients.

"The river to the sea," Faith said hoping this would not work.

Buffy and Xander, the heart and vessel closed their eyes in anticipation and said the final words of the spell together. "Eryishon Q, hear our prayer."

Cordelia Chase walked in several hours later to find the library in shambles. Tables were upside down and tossed several feet from where they originally were, the stacks knocked down in a domino effect some even torn in half and books were strewn everywhere as if scattered by a great wind. Cordelia walked over to where the circle had been drawn on the floor in chalk with fine dust showing where people had sat in the circle, but there were no signs of anyone around or what had happened to them.

Cordelia shook her head in exasperation. "What have the morons done now?" She ran out in search of Oz or Wesley to see if they could shed some light on what the pain in the ass Scoobies were up to.

Riker was pleased; they had got through this fiasco without any serious casualties. This could have ended much worse than it did, especially with the young girl running around on the ship. "How had she figured out how to get to the bridge?' He resigned himself to revise some of the security measures on the ship. He got up to speak to a now sober Tasha Yar about the subject.

"Tasha, we need to set up some meetings to seriously look at our security systems and resolve some major issues. If teenagers can get control of certain systems without permission, we're not doing our jobs correctly," referring to both Wesley and Willow.

Riker noticed Tasha turn several shades of red and chalked it up to her being embarrassed about the security issues. He didn't realize that his mention of teenagers took her mind back to her resent indiscretions.

She had not only had sex with Data but she had inappropriately made out with their teenaged stow away. What had she been thinking? She knew it was the effects of that damn virus but what the hell was she thinking trying something like that? Intoxication was only suppose to lesson you're inhibitions. To give you an excuse to let you do some of the crazier things you wanted to do but were afraid to do when sober.

So what the hell was she thinking? First, she had sex with Data who was her fellow officer and had treated him as the equivalent of a walking sentient dildo. Second she had never been into females like that, third the girl was a blasted teenager! At least ten years her junior. Tasha closed her eyes in utter disgust at herself. She laughed inwardly as she thought of something that she had heard Worf say once. 'Today would be a good day to die,' she heard his deep voice resonate in her head and had to agree whole-heartedly. Crawling under a big rock to die would be a really good thing right now.

"Tasha!" Riker touched her shoulder in concern, she had spaced out while he was talking to her. He surely hoped this was not after effects from that damn virus.

Tasha came out of her inopportune daydreaming and glanced around nervously. She spotted Deanna Troi looking at her with concern in her eyes. She groaned inwardly at that, she would have to try to avoid the counselor for the rest of the day. 'Make that year,' she thought glumly.

Then all hell broke loose on the bridge as the electric light show from earlier returned and another portal opened up and dropped six unconscious people unto the bridge.

"Damn it!" Riker yelled in aggravation, when was this going to end? They were not in a position to deal with this right now, the systems were still partially disabled, half the crew had hangovers, and strangely dressed unconscious people kept raining down onto the bridge. Riker was all for seeking out new life and new civilizations but that didn't mean he wanted them to show up like this, when the shields were up and nothing was supposed to be able to get in. He didn't like it one bit.

Riker rushed over to the new arrivals and noticed that they had sustained some of the same injuries as their first guest. Tasha had her phaser leveled at them and Deanna was running a quick diagnostic with the emergency medical tricorder. She seemed quite sanguine until she came to a large man in a leather jacket. Deanna made several sweeps with her tricoder, felt for a pulse, winced and then shook her head. Riker joined her. "They seem slightly injured, except for this man. I think he's dead."

Riker bent over to listen an feel for faint breathing, none. He searched for a pulse, there was none and the body was clammy and cold. Deanna had probably felt the same thing, but had hoped he'd come to a different conclusion. He shook his head at her sadly, sighed and touched his communicator.

"Captain I think you better come to the bridge, we have six more surprise guest that just dropped unto the bridge," Riker could almost hear the captain rub his dome in frustration and if it wasn't for what he had to report next he would have smiled.

"Captain, one of them is dead," Riker said sadly.

"Me and a medical team are on our way number one," The annoyance and sadness in the Captain Picard's voice evident.

Fifteen minutes later Willow woke up. Before opening her eyes she groaned, that was one hell of a nightmare she had. She tried to settle her nerves before getting up to start her day. Being on a spaceship several hundred years in the future, she was definitely cutting down on the sci-fi with Xander if this was the outcome. And Mochachino's. No more Mochachino's before bed either.

Then she heard the swish of a door opening and her heart stopped. She opened her eyes completely and jumped off the medibed to see several people rush in, each one with an unconscious person on a floating bed or stretcher at their side. Persons that she could tell were her friends. All thoughts of dreaming gone out of her head as she watched them usher her friends into a different section of sickbay, she ran to catch them but the Captain who had come in after them stopped her.

"Willow, you must let the Doctor work, she has some serious injuries to deal with in there," He paused as he saw the tears fall down her face.

"I take it you know our new arrivals," The captain asked as he touched her shoulder gently and ushered her back to her bed.

She looked at him distraught and shaking. "They are my friends Captain, I believe they came to try and rescue me,"

"Rescue you?" Rescue you from what Willow?" The Captain was on edge. He liked to explore the unknown but this was bordering on the ridiculous and he had the sinking feeling that by the end of the day it would become bizarre.

He suspended his questioning for now as he saw the perplexed girl contemplate whether she should tell him anything. He decided regretfully to tell her the unfortunate news.

"Willow, I'm afraid I have some bad news, one of your friends," he paused looking for gentle words. He hated this part of his job. " His injuries must have been too severe and I'm afraid that they did not make it."

"Oh god no," Willow cried out in anguish. 'No,' she thought to herself, 'I can't deal with another one of my friends dying on me,' "Who…?" Willow gulped trying to swallow her grief. "Which...?" she tried but she couldn't get the question of which one of her friends had died out of her mouth.

She pleaded to the captain with hysterical eyes and he tried to give a description of the one who had met his demise. "He… the captain trailed off as the girl almost lost her composure.

'He,' she thought to herself as she crumble to the floor. She'd observed them bring two males into sickbay, Xander and Giles and the fact that one of them was dead now sent her spiraling into a grief stricken hysteria.

Captain Picard bent down trying to comfort the hysterical young woman. He had only said he and she succumbed to an out of control grief. "Willow, I'm so sorry for your loss," he looked around frantically in hopes of finding someone better suited for this. Beverly and her nurses and junior doctors were all busy. He touched his communicator and summoned the counselor to sickbay.


	9. Tangled Webs

Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :)

Deanna Troi wearily made her way to sickbay; this had been a trying couple of days for the entire crew. Between the arrival of their surprise quests, to the virus that had so totally taken over them, emotions were running high with all. More so with her having to deal once again with a rehashing of feeling for a certain commander that she thought she had buried for the sake of her post on the Enterprise. Not only that but the emotions of the crew weighed and churned heavily on her mind, she had no doubt that a lot if not all of them had done things that they had thoroughly regretted. Hence the fact that her counseling schedule was now completely booked for the next couple of months with people who wanted to discuss things with her. She hoped Starfleet would come through with her promised assistants soon.

She also worried that a certain female colleague was not among that list and she was one that Deanna worried about the most. On the bridge Tasha's raw emotions were nearly screaming within her, whatever she had done had her confused and scared. During their short time on the Enterprise, she had formed a close-knit friendship with Beverly and Tasha, being the heads of each of their departments. 'Okay, so my department is only me at the moment,' she thought wryly. Her empathy and training had allowed her to get to know the other quite well and scared or confused were not descriptions that she would ordinarily put to Tasha Yar.

Yet those were the prominent emotions she was feeling from the security chief, and the fact that Tasha was dealing with them alone and avoiding her was worrying her considerably. Deanna sighed, as she had to put her thoughts on that matter on the back burner of her mind. A young lady in sickbay needed her immediate attention and from the urgency in the Captain's voice when he had summoned her to sickbay this may take awhile. Not that emotions and feeling were things that could be dealt with swiftly. People's psyches weren't machines to be repaired with a few spare parts.

As she neared sickbay the overwhelming grief coming from there almost overpowered her. Before she realized what was happening she was weeping openly and uncontrollably. She had to get control over her empathic powers before she entered the room. 'My God,' Deanna thought to herself, she had never met any human female that could project such open emotions that could almost consume her like that. Emotions had consumed her before but it had been the very intense emotion of an entire crew or a very powerful entity, not a lone human teenager.

Deanna took several deep breaths and tuned down her empathy, raising her mental shields before she finally stepped into sickbay to meet her patient. Her heart wrenched at the sight before her, the Captain kneeling down trying ineffectually to calm a near hysterical, grief-stricken, crying girl. She observed the moment for a few seconds and had to give the Captain some credit. He had never been at his best around young children or teenagers and he had claimed his weakness in that and asked parts of his crew to help him in that aspect, particularly Riker and herself. However, looking at his actions now even though you could see he was extremely uncomfortable in the situation he found himself in he took it in his stride and did what he could for the grieving girl until cavalry came.

As Deanna contemplated this knew found ability in her Captain she smiled inwardly, as an outward smile would hav e been inappropriate considering Willow's grief. It almost turned to inner laughter as the Captain looked up at her with an audible sense of relief at her presence.

"Counselor, I'm glad you're here. I believe your expertise is required here," he stood slowly bringing Willow up with him and gently placed her unto the medibed, unconsciously wiping away a few of her tears. The counselor brightened at the involuntary gesture.

The Captain looked into Willow's now reddened eyes and touched her hands. "Willow I'm going to go and check on the doctor's progress, I took the liberty of having quarter's made up for you," he guided her gaze toward the counselor as he spoke.

"The counselor here will see you to your accommodations and as soon as we have news on the condition of your friends I will come and tell you. All I ask is that you stay put until then," he stressed the there, still annoyed that she'd managed to wander out of Sickbay, no matter how confused the situation had been before.

Willow looked to the counselor and then back to the Captain, nodding her head in acceptance glad that he would take time out for her out of his undoubtedly busy schedule to give her news of her friends himself.

The Captain smiled softly at her, he didn't know what it was but he had immediately thought of this girl like a daughter and had somehow become very protective over her emotionally. Maybe it was the fact that she in some odd way reminded him of the Doctor. He looked at his Counselor seriously. He could see that she was hiding a smile. the same sort of smile she wore when watching parents with their children. He straightened his shoulders, suppressing his embarrassment.

"See to it that she is made comfortable Counselor, and try to help her as much as you can," he gave her a pointed look telling her to use her empathic abilities.

The Counselor nodded and the Captain, oddly reluctant left Willow in her capable hands. The counselor took her attention away from the fleeing Captain and unto Willow, with special attention on the barriers around her empathic powers.

"May I call you Willow, Miss Rosenberg?" the counselor came closer to Willow and tried to make her feel comfortable with her presence, trying hard to keep the girls emotions at bay as much as she possibly could. How could a girl so young and only human almost emotionally overwhelm her like she had?

Willow looked up at the counselor with a tear stained and puffy face wondering why she was so pale. She wasn't a red head and she looked to exotic to be a race that tended to be paler than others. Willow thought for a moment and hoped to the goddess that she wasn't a vampire, but why would the captain put a vampire in his crew, unless he didn't know. Willow noticed the counselor waiting for an answer with worry on her face as she came out of one of her epic mind babbles.

She nodded slowly in answer to Troi's question and wiped her eyes. She almost started a new set of tears as she remembered the demise of one of her friends and she looked at the counselor with resolve. She had to know if it was Xander or Giles that had left her.

"Counselor..," Willow trailed off waiting for the counselor to tell her name.

"Deanna, you can call me Deanna, Willow," the Counselor gave her a gracious smile and took her by the hand. "Let's take a walk to your quarters and then we can talk some. You can tell me about your friends and how you all came to be here."

Two extreme mixed emotions ran through Willow, wanting to leave and wanting to stay to see if the rest of her friends would be all right. She knew if she stayed she would drive herself crazy pacing back and forth, not able to do anything or go in to see her friends, yet she didn't want to go she wanted to be there when they woke up.

She began to panic not knowing what to do, the Counselor saw and more so felt that and for her own sanity as well as Willow's she stepped in trying to quell Willow's warring emotions. "I tell you what, as soon as we hear word back from the captain on the condition of your friends I tell you what, as soon as we hear word back from the Captain on the condition of your friends I'll see to it that you can see them as soon as possible. How does that sound?"

Willow swallowed her trepidation and got up to follow the Counselor out, she knew she couldn't do anything here but worry herself to death and she could do that in the comfort of her quarters. Troi lead her out of sickbay with a little anxiety of her own.

If she couldn't control the amount of emotional imprinting this girl was unintentionally sending her way, she wouldn't be able to help her. She decided to focus on the task at hand. Getting the girl to talk and maybe that would calm her.

"So Willow, tell me about your friends," Troi struck up the conversation as they walked slowly down the corridor.

Willow closed her eyes and smiled as she began to tell Deanna of her friends and what they meant to her. The Counselor listened intently, happy with the reprieve as happier emotions emanated from the girl as she talked about her friends.

She spoke of the brave blonde that had befriended her when the popular girls wouldn't and how she had slowly made her come out of her shell. Of the librarian that had seen potential in her and had confidence in her to do important jobs and research, whom she respected and wanted to be like. Deanna swayed in dismay at the emotional upheaval of the girl when she began to speak of the boy who she had crushed on since she was a little girl. The one who had comforted her when she had broken her favorite yellow crayon and who also stole her Barbie.

'What is a Barbie?' Deanna wondered as Willow kept talking. Then the pain hit her.

Willow once again began to cry and turned to ask for information on her deceased friend when she had to catch the counselor in her arms as her knees gave out.

"Deanna are you alright?" Willow asked in a panicked voice as she tried to keep the counselor on her feet. The only response she received was a moan from the other woman right before she collapsed to the ground.

Willow frantically looked around for anyone in the halls but no one was around. She sat down beside the Counselor trying to get her to wake up to no avail. She remembered in the back of her mind that the Captain had pressed the badge on his uniform to communicate with others on the ship and wondered if she pressed Deanna's would it work for her. She pressed it and let out a relieved breath when it chirped.

She tried her best to follow the wording she remembered the captain using. "Uhm, Willow to Sickbay," there was a brief pause before she heard the irritated voice of the Doctor.

"Willow? What are you doing on the com system, didn't the captain tell you that he would contact you when he received news of your friends?"

Willow nearly cried out, this day couldn't get any worse. Scratch that thought, murphy tended to prove you very wrong when you thought things like that.

"I'm sorry doctor, but I'm with Counselor Troi and she collapsed on me. I don't know what to do, please send help." She gulped back a few sobs.

She heard a few chose curse words from the Doctor as she told her the situation. "I'm on my way Willow, please try to stay calm."

Willow nodded not realizing the Doctor couldn't see her. She tried her best to stay calm but she was at her wits end with all the major stuff happening. Time travel, friends dying, woman kissing her, 'a hot woman kissing her,' she thought, before she realized that she'd thought about Tasha as hot and became even more distraught. She sat the counselor's head in her lap and tried to make her as comfortable as possible as she waited for help to arrive.

Oh how the tables had turned, the Counselor was the one that was suppose to make her comfortable. She really didn't like or appreciate this sudden role reversal. Willow's tears started again and she tried to keep them from hitting Deanna.

Beverly gave instruction to her staff as she grabbed an emergency kit, loaded it with psychotropic and emphatic inhibitors, slid her favorite tricorder into her pocket and strode out of her once orderly Sickbay, two nurses in tow, frightened about what she would find. "Computer, shortest route to Counselor Troi's current location. Alert the Bridge that there is an officer down at that location."

As the doctor left sickbay a certain slayer began to reawaken.


	10. Strange Places & Things

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Star Trek: The Next Generation. They Belong to Joss Whedon-Mutant Enemy and Gene Roddenberry-Paramount.

Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :)

Warning's! Strong Faith language and mentioned sex. that is all.

Faith slowly woke up, groggy and in just enough pain to make her dangerous. She turned her head just in time to see a red head leave the vicinity. She noticed a man in what looked like pajamas with his back to her. Through her slowly dissipating pain, Faith tried to get up and regretted her action almost immediately. As the pain once again tore through her body, she moaned, drawing the attention of the man. He quickly grabbed what she thought was a weapon and came towards her.

"Miss you should lay back down, you're in no condition… uhmmff!" Faith fought her pain and took the man down in one swift strike to the head; he went down like a sack of potatoes. She noticed the others were still unconscious on the same type of examination table she was. 'Fuck,' were they experimenting on them in this place? 'What had they gotten themselves into?' she thought to herself.

Faith's attention peaked up to Slayer mode when she heard stirring in the other room. She had to get out of there quick, no telling what they had planned for them in this eerie fucking place. She knew shouldn't have followed these fools in the first place, now how would she get home to the only man that had ever shown her any ounce of love and respect.

She decided to go out the same way she saw the red head go. She reached the door and she ducked in surprise when it opened automatically for her. She harrumphed at that and did a quick scan of the corridor outside. There were two ways to go from here and she heard lots of activity coming from the left so she decided to go right. She would find a way out of this hellhole if it were the last thing she did. She wouldn't let these bastards dissect her like some kind of guinea pig. To hell with the Scoobies they got themselves into this shit, they could rot in itfor all she cared.

She slid to a halt as she heard someone coming around the rounded corridor. She hid in one of the darkened access points to wait for them to pass. Before they could sirens started going off in the place with flashing red lights and all. She half expected a police car to come round the corner. Great, all the bells and whistles were probably in her honor, so much for sneaking around trying to find a way out. That's when a creature she was sure was a vampire on steroids noticed her as he rounded the corner. Faith braced herself for a fight.

~%~

Willow waited in tears, absentmindedly stroking the Counselor's hair as she waited for the Doctor to arrive, it seemed like forever. She couldn't help but think that she was partly to blame for what had happened. She was pretty sure the Counselor didn't make it a habit to faint on guest or the Captain wouldn't have assigned her to this task. So, obviously, she was the only odd occurrence that would make the Counselor sick like this. Willow noticed how pale Deanna was when she was in close proximity to her and it had only gotten worse the longer she with her.

Willow sighed with relief when the Doctor rounded the corner and bent down to check on Counselor Troi's condition. The Doctor visibly relaxed letting Willow know that it wasn't anything serious. Willow was grateful that she had not harmed the Counselor irreparebly.

Beverly touched her combadge. "Transporter room, lock on to Counselor Troi's signal and beam her directly to Sickbay.

"Beam?" Willow questioned and yelped sharply as Deanna disappeared from her lap. "What the heck?" Willow eyes widened in consternation.

Beverly put a calming hand on Willow and explained. "That's a technology we have to get a person from one place to another quickly, a kind of transportation."

As she finished the red alert began to sound off and they both raised an eyebrow. "Not again!" They said in unison and looked at each other and laughed. 'How is it this girl is nestling herself in your heart so fast, Beverly? What the hell is going on?' Beverly thought to herself as she comtemplated the girl who was giggling through her tears.

The Captain's voice came over the intercom and his voice was that of a man who'd had enough for one day. "One of our guests has gone missing from Sickbay, if you find her, approach with caution, she injured a member of the Sickbay Staff and may be dangerous."

Beverly sighed. "Willow I'm afraid that I have to ask you to return to Sickbay with me, you may be able to diffuse this situation more than we can. You know you're friends and how they would react to this king of situation, help to calm them down," Willow nodded and Beverly ushered her once again back to Sickbay. 'Man, I feel like a yo-yo,' she grouched internally, still wary of the Doctor's temper.

"Oh, and Willow? I'm sorry for snapping at you. Calling me in Sickbay was exactly the right thing to do, Deanna might have suffered an overload in her paracortex,' Doctor Crusher told the younger redhead.

Willow glowed. Acting on an impulse, Beverly reached out and pulled the girl into a side-hug, keeping her arm around Willow's shoulder until they reached Sickbay.

The second to awaken was a certain blonde Slayer who had been having a really pleasant dream. Angel was human now and they had been sharing in her favorite ice cream after some mind blowing sex that didn't turn him into Angelus. And the look in his eyes showed there would be more mind-blowing sex, possibly involving the ice cream. It was heaven, until some siren woke her up abruptly and she fell right off the bed unto the floor. She groaned and stood quickly as she felt someone try to help her up. She turned to give him a swift strike to the head, and she stopped just as quickly as she heard his protest.

"Not again," the nurse groaned as he closed his eyes and braced himself for another knockout blow. When none came, he cautiously opened one eye to see a smirking blonde looking at him.

"Sorry, you startled me is all and my instincts took over, didn't mean to scare you," She looked around Sickbay and her nose scrunched up. "Where are we anyway? Some kind of hospital, it doesn't smell like a hospital," Buffy looked at the irritated man as he scowled at her.

"You are in Sickbay, we were tending to your wounds when one of your people awoke and attacked me and then you just did the same," the nurse said.

Buffy grimaced, she knew full well who would have assaulted the man before asking questions "Faith," Buffy whispered as the man continued to glare at her.

Nurse Tranton breathed a sigh of relief when Doctor Crusher returned with another red head protectively tucked under her arm, but had to avoid being trampled on by the blonde when she noticed the newcomers.

"Willow!" Buffy screamed with relief and utter happiness as she ran towards her best friend.

"Buffy!" Willow broke out in happy tears as the blonde slammed into her giving her a bone-crushing hug, forgetting her Slayer strength. "Buffy, bones, breaking!" Willow struggled to speak as the air was squeezed from her body.

Buffy quickly loosened the grip on her friend but did not let go in fear that it was all a dream and she would disappear again. "Willow I thought we lost you, I've never been more scared in my life," She finally let go and looked at Willow giving her the mother of all Buffy pout's. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Willow had to laugh, as if she had or would ever purposely do that to herself again. "I won't Buffy," her eyes went directly to Giles and Xander and for the life of her; she could not tell which one was gone. She turned back to Buffy and burst into tears.

"Buffy, Xander and Giles, one of them died on their way to find me," she embraced the Slayer once more for comfort as she cried on her shoulder.

"What?" the Slayer nearly screamed in disbelief, she looked between Willow, her three friends on the hospital beds, to the doctors. Waiting for an explanation, then she realized someone else was missing and she started laughing hysterically.

Willow backed up, thinking that the Slayer had finally lost it. "Buffy what's wrong with you? I tell you that Xander or Giles has died and you laugh," Willow looked hurt by Buffy's indifference.

Buffy sighed and gave Willow a reassuring look. "That's because no one in this room is dead Willow," She looked at Doctor Crusher for confirmation. "Am I right?"

The doctor looked aghast at the question; she would never allow a corpse into her sickbay except for post mortem examinations. "No, we have places for the dead to await burial or whatever funerary rites species prefer to handle their dead, we put your friend in the morgue."

Buffy snorted, 'serves him right for giving time to Faith of all people,' she then noticed how confused Willow looked and sighed. "Willow, Angel came with us."

Willow eyes widened and her hand went over her mouth, she tried so hard to control herself but could hold it in no longer she started laughing, In relief more than anything. Soon her and Buffy were in tears from laughing so hard.

The Doctor stood there in dismay. How could someone be so callous over the death of a friend. She had a mind to scold both of them right there for their less than caring attitude. She'd thought better of the red-head that stood before her, she really thought they she was better than that, even in the little time they had taking care of her. It oddly hurt to see her reaction.

Buffy noticed her look of disdain and decided to let her off the hook. "Look, we don't mean to sound unfeeling but were just relieved that everyone made it here alive," Buffy put up her hand as the Doctor began to protest what she thought to be a mistake, the girls were clearly in denial.

"Let me explain, our friend developed a condition many years ago," That was an understatement, she thought to herself. "When he is asleep or unconscious he seems dead, no one can get vital signs from him, it even seems like he's not breathing. It always baffled his Doctors and they could never explain it, but I assure you he is not dead," Buffy lied not wanting to speak of vampires to these people. For all she knew they could have a serious case of Sunnydale syndrome and she didn't want to end up in a padded cell again. In addition, she was pretty sure that Faith was out there causing havoc and she needed to get out there and help catch her.

"You mean to tell me that the guy we put in one of the morgue stasis units since you arrived here is not dead!" Doctor Beverly Crusher looked at them incredulously. It was final, this guy was probably many things to them but friend was not one of them.

"Well when you put it that way," Buffy looked sheepish and almost sounded sincere if not for the mirth in her eyes as she glanced at a contrite Willow. "Actually that sounds awful!" she snorted. "But it's hardly the first time."

"I'll go retrieve him before he loses his mind when he wakes up in a morgue, you two stay put. Please!" she directed her glare at Willow, who nodded vigorously. Beverly rolled her eyes, patently not believing the redhead could stay put, and started out the door. Buffy stopped her.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, we already have a situation with another of my... people running around like a loose cannon after she injured your nurse. If you go out there alone and he sees an unfamiliar face…," she let her sentence drift off so the consequence of that action could sink in.

Beverly thought about it and nodded to the blonde. "Very well, but I'll have to inform the Captain."

Buffy scrunched her nose at that and looked at Willow. "I'll explain later Buffy, were not exactly in Kansas anymore. I'll stay here just in case our guys wake up."

Buffy raised an eyebrow and thought that she couldn't wait for that particular tale, she hoped that Xander and Giles would be awake by then. Buffy and Beverly started on their trek to the morgue and Angel.

~%~

Worf walked alone contemplating his duties; he thought that his human colleagues were particularly weak for succumbing to something as pathetic as intoxication. Maybe it was his Klingon blood or his tolerance for blood wine but the virus hadn't even touched him and he reveled in that fact. He had practically run the bridge by himself while his Captain and first officer were barely on their feet.

Surely, there would be commendations for his action during the crisis, not just for the boy Wesley Crusher. And the Crusher boy had caused enough trouble that his commendations would be buried in reprimands and notes. He respected humans a lot for their intellect, it had gotten them far throughout the centuries but they had to face the facts, it would only get them so far with a wide variety of superior species both mentally and physically sharing the universe with them.

Physically they were weak, compared to other species. Except for a select few, their prowess was just above the Ferengi, Worf thought. Worf rounded a corner and froze as he sensed a predator in his vicinity. He scanned the corridor and saw a figure hiding in wait in one of the darkened access points.

Then the red alert sounded and he heard the captain's warning to the crew. Worf bared his teeth in a warrior's snarl as the figure braced itself for battle.


	11. Let Slip The Dogs Of War

Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS or STNG, they belong to Whedon and Roddenberry.

Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :)

Both Klingon and Slayer surveyed their opponent intently, their stances that of a predator, an animal ready to pounce on its victim. Sizing each other up for what seemed like an eternity but both sensing in a split second the warrior that stood before them. This would not be an easy fight. There would be no lull, no bells that signaled rest, no quarter given. Equally knowing that once combat began death was the only conclusion, they existed only for battle.

Today was a good day to die. To Worf there was only one honor greater than to die at the hands of a superior warrior after a honorable combat, to have his praises sung after his death for his Klingon prowess and that was to defeat a superior opponent in battle. There was something strange about the being before him. He could see calculation in the shadow hidden form, but no fear. And looking into the eyes of his adversary he knew this would be a battle worthy of Khaless. Worf roared as his blood began to boil in anticipation, his Klingon soul longed to meet this challenge.

Faith stood in the shadows battle ready and waiting impatiently for the monster before her to make his move. Wondering in bewilderment why he looked at her as if she were the best thing since sliced bread. She wished he would just fight instead of looking at her as though she were a piece of meat to gnaw on or worse, fuck with. Faith bristled when he howled 'Fuck it,' she thought. 'Let's get this over with,' she stepped out of the shadows and watched in quiet amusement as his warrior stance deflated. Good she smiled wickedly; they always underestimated the lost little girl. Made them easy pickings, she went in for the kill.

Beverly walked with Buffy to the morgue quietly contemplating the challis girl beside her. To the naked eye she seemed like the normal 21st century bubbly California girl without a care in the world, but Beverly knew better. She learned a long time ago that sometimes things are not what they seem. From the first time she encountered Buffy she knew she shouldn't take this girl at face value. From the seamless way she had taken charge, assessed and defused the situation before her was something. This girl was a born leader and although she may at one time been a self centered and frivolous young woman, something had happened to make her something more, something Beverly couldn't put her finger on. In an odd way Buffy reminded her of Jean-Luc, though less urbane and with more hair. She had to suppress a smile at the thought.

Their guest would continue to be a pain in the crew's backside and more than likely cause Jean Luc to have an aneurysm. She laughed aloud at her thoughts causing Buffy to look at her sideways. Shrugging, she put her wayward thoughts on the back burner and focused on the task at hand. Beverly led Buffy to her not so dead friend. This particular case still baffled her somewhat, she'd heard of cases like this happening often before medicine and technology had evolved but mistaking someone for dead nowadays was nearly unheard of. Those few cases found were mostly in species whose biology was little known to Federation medicine,not in human cases. And from what she saw and read from the young man presumed dead, he was most certainly human. So she began to wonder if her two patients were in denial about their friend or just delusional.

She started to open the morgue slab only to have Buffy stop her. "Maybe you should let me do that, he may be in a bit of a bad mood."

Beverly rolled her eyes but backed away and let Buffy take the reins.

Buffy opened the slab only to have a cold hand reach out and grab her by the throat. Beverly yelled out in shock, jumping back, then mastered herself and rushed to help Buffy.

Worf's Klingon heart crashed, he'd worked himself up into a warriors rage. This little slip of a girl could not be the challenge that he felt within his Klingon bones. He glanced around the corridor for any sign of the threat he sensed and then turned his attention back to the harmless girl. Worf went flying by a solid uppercut that made his ears ring. He tried to rise but the girl was on him quickly, like Klingon flies on a dead targ. He growled in frustration at being caught off guard by a human female. He hadn't even seen her move. Her punches were way beyond that of a human girl; in fact, he could barely take the onslaught of her attack.

He lifted his arms and viciously struck her on both sides of her head. She grimaced and faltered giving him time to shift her weight and flip her over so that he was on top. He held her down by her arms thinking that this would be the end of the conflict. He didn't want to have to hurt this girl, the Captain would not be pleased with him and that commendation he was looking forward to would be sullied by a demerit.

Worf looked down into her face and all thoughts of a peaceful solution died quickly. She head butted him sending him sprawling unto the corridor floor. He scrambled to his feet only to be struck several times in succession by her fists and feet. He barely had time to admire the way she fought; she was like deadly poetry in motion. The way she moved reminded him of the words of Kahless when he found Lukara, the warrior woman worthy of his heart.

"She rose with the blood sun. Her skin dark as the beautiful night, Her eyes held the fires of Gre'Thor within them. Her very soul carried death with it as a friend. The unworthy and the dishonored feared and abhorred her as she ushered them violently into Gre'Thor where Fek'lhr waits to consume their souls. A warrior woman that no Klingon male could stand before, No Klingon warrior but me, she is the missing part of my beating Klingon heart. She calls to me and I shall win her. Prove my worthiness, whether it be by death or desire as long as it's by her hands or in her arms my heart shall beat stronger. Into ever generation Sto'Vo'Kor or Gre'Thor awaits."

Worf realized then he would have to put her down before she put him down.

Faith smiled at him and smiled knowingly as if guessing his very thoughts. "Good luck with that crater head," She ran and jumped unto his neck and punched him between the eyes sending him crashing to the floor with a loud bang. With her on top once again, Worf grunted in pain trying to dodge her blows to his cranium to no avail. He shifted his focus from defense to offense and grabbed her by both her thighs and sent her flying off him. She hit her head hard enough to see stars giving Worf only a moment to make his next move. He advanced on her quickly and brought a Starfleet clad boot down upon her trying to knock the wind out of her sail. She grabbed it inches from her gut and twisted it, smiling when she heard a satisfying crack.

"ARRRGGGHHH!" Worf went down like a felled tree but not before striking her in the face and bloodying and breaking her nose.

"You're gonna pay for that you son of a bitch," Faith got up, nose dripping blood all over the corridor and grabbed Worf by his unraveled hair and started to twist his neck.

"FAITH NO!" Faith had no time to react before she was sent flying into the air flying by an unforeseen force. She hit the wall with a sickening thud and she slid down the wall unconscious.

Explanation of Klingon references in this chapter.

Religion

According to legend, Kortar, the "first" Klingon, and his mate were created in a place called QI'tu'. The two destroyed the gods who made them and turned the heavens into ashes. This event is recounted in marriage ceremonies through the following, singular passage: "With fire and steel did the gods forge the Klingon heart. So fiercely did it beat, so loud was the sound, that the gods cried out, 'On this day we have brought forth the strongest heart in all the heavens. None can stand before it without trembling at its strength.' But then the Klingon heart weakened, its steady rhythm faltered and the gods said, 'Why do you weaken so? We have made you the strongest in all of creation.' And the heart said... 'I am alone.' And the gods knew that they had erred. So they went back to their forge and brought forth another heart. But the second heart beat stronger than the first, and the first was jealous of its power. Fortunately, the second heart was tempered by wisdom. 'If we join together, no force can stop us.' And when the two hearts began to beat together, they filled the heavens with a terrible sound. For the first time, the gods knew fear. They tried to flee, but it was too late. The Klingon hearts destroyed the gods who created them and turned the heavens to ashes. To this very day, no one can oppose the beating of two Klingon hearts."

watch?v=j4OpNWjaI5w&feature=colike

Kahless, the first Klingon emperor and a messianic figure to all Klingons.

Sto'Vo'Kor, a paradise where battle and feasting can eternally be shared and won. Sto'Vo'Kor is much like Valhalla in earth's Viking culture. The honored dead are not mourned, but celebrated. The eyes of a dead warrior are opened, and all fellow Klingons present roar to tell the warriors in Sto'Vo'Kor that the warrior is joining them. The body of the dead warrior is viewed mainly as an empty shell to be disposed of; particularly well-respected warriors have their companions accompany the body for interment or disposal, "just" to keep away predators (though a privately held act of respect for the departed). Warriors who may have a question about whether they will be worthy to enter Sto'Vo'Kor, such as not having died in glorious battle, may have a dangerous quest held in their name by their surviving mate and his or her companions.

Gre'Thor, realm of the dishonoured dead, where the demonic being Fek'lhr waited to consume particularly loathsome souls. If a Klingon dies and is fated to journey to Gre'Thor, they will find themselves on the Barge of the Dead, which travels the 'river of blood' on its way to Gre'Thor. Klingon souls on the Barge are tempted by siren-like voices, masquerading as friends and family, who try to lure them off the edge and into the river.

Under normal circumstances it is difficult for the souls of dead Klingons to leave Gre'Thor, as in the expression "I will surrender when spirits escape from Gre'Thor!", but the legend of Kahless does allow for such things. Another example is the mother of B'Elanna Torres, who was initially sent to Gre'Thor due to her daughter's misdeeds but was eventually released.

Sisko, O'Brien, Bashir and Alexander begin the Kal'Hyah, in one of Quark's holosuites, all eager for what they assume will be four days of Klingon debauchery. Worf shows them the Ma'Stakas, that are to be used at the conclusion of the wedding in a ceremonial "attack" on Worf and Dax. This tradition stems from Kahless and Lukara's wedding when they were nearly killed by Molor's troops. Worf also mentions that the food sitting nearby is not to be eaten, it is there to tempt them to break their fast. This is the first trial on the path to Kal'Hyah – deprivation. Everyone realizes that they are in for four days of hell.


	12. Unanswered Questions

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters represented here, Joss Whedon along with Mutant Enemy does._

_A special thanks AllenPitt for giving me a reason to have Beverly do test on the scoobies. thank you for your input about the Eugenics wars and the genetically engineered, friend :)_

_Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :)_

_Willow paced back and forth waiting for Buffy's and Doctor Crushers return. She periodically checked in on Giles, Xander and Anya who had yet to wake up. Worry saturated her very thoughts, she was unsure of what to do for them. Would they wake up or did the journey here damage them so much that they would not return to the land of the conscious. Would Angel be pissed at them for letting these people put him in a morgue? She didn't even want to think about what Faith was doing at the moment. She couldn't just sit here and do nothing; waiting for her friends to wake up while Faith was out there doing god knows what. She stopped burning a hole in the floor long enough to make her way out of Sickbay in search of Faith the wayward slayer, maybe she could stop her from doing something extremely foolish or worse, lethal. How she would accomplish that was beyond her, but she had to try._

_"Doctor Crusher is really not gonna be happy with me," she murmured to herself as she avoided Nurse Tranton and sidled through the sliding doors into the rest of the ship. she winced as she considered the anger the firey Doctor would unleash upon her. "Boy, good thing I'm not her daughter. I'd be grounded for life."_

_She glanced around nervously and noticed that it was less hectic in the corridors since the last time she journeyed down them alone. In fact, it was pretty much empty. She figured it was because of the Captains warning about Faith. They were giving security a chance to secure the area and neutralize the threat. Willow wanted to get to Faith before they did; she hated to think of what she would do if she ran into one of the aliens on the ship. Willow quickened her steps knowing well Faiths oft attested kill first ask questions never motto._

_She stiffened as she heard the sounds of a scuffle, no a battle, several feet away from her. She hoped that it was not Faith she was hearing, as she closed in on the sounds of the struggle, it seemed to hit a serious climax. Willow broke into a full run and as she rounded the corner, her eyes widened in dismay. There stood a bloodied Faith standing ready to snap someone's neck. An alien in a mustard-colored top. One of the crew!_

"_Faith No!" Willow held out her hands as she yelled for Faith to stop. What happened next surprised and shook her to the core. Faith flew through the air and hit the wall with a sickening thud. Willow gasped and looked at her hands in horror. She stumble towards Faith and gently touched the Slayers bruised and battered form as it lay breathing laboriously and bleeding over the crisp carpets of the Enterprise._

_Falling to her knees beside faith,the tears flowed down her terror-stricken face. What had she done? Better question, how had she done it? Willow sat there her head in her hands and wept profusely._

_Worf looked from the crying girl to the unconscious warrior he'd been locked in battle with. Wondering how this young girl had done what he just saw. The only being with the type of power she displayed was Q, and if this girl was Q, he had to warn the captain and quickly. _

_Activating his combadge,Worf called Captain Picard. "Captain I have found the girl but she is severely injured. I believe you should meet us in Sickbay. There is a security issue that you should be made aware of." _

_Worf looked at the crying girl cagily; he had to handle this, as the humans would say, limped over and gently picked Faith up to carry her to sickbay._

"_I'm taking her to sickbay; I need you to come with me." He stopped long enough to address the young girl before him._

_Willow glanced up with weary reddened eyes and nodded, her crying worsened when she noticed how bad Faith looked in his arms. Worf gestured for her to take the lead. No way was he going to let this creature be in tow of him. If she was Q he'd rather lean heavily on the side of caution, he trusted Q as much as he trusted a Romulan QI'yaH._

_He wondered what game Q was playing this time. Worf suspected that it would be a dangerous one if Q were involved._

_Captain Picard and Riker looked at each other in dismay, both thinking the same thing. That Worf got overzealous and seriously injured the girl in question._

"_Number one you're with me, Data you have the Bridge," The Captain started to think that Sickbay had become his second Bridge. He'd spent more time there in the last few days than in any other part of his ship including his Bridge. Walking unto the turbo lift, he pressed his combadge. "Lt Yar, stand down on your search for our stowaway and meet me in sickbay with your team."_

"_What do you think Worf meant about a new security threat Captain?" Riker walked in step with Picard, looking for answers to what they had gotten themselves into with their guest._

"_I wish I knew Number One, but it can't be good. Worf sounded a little flustered to me and a Klingon flustered is never a good thing." The Captain replied soberly. "They tend to lash out when uncertain."_

_Riker nodded in agreement rolled his eyes, not at the captain so much but at all that had happened since the arrival of their pest, as he recently had come to call them. If Worf found something that could make this, whatever this was that much worse. He dreaded to know what it was._

_Buffy gasped for breath as Angel tightened his grip around her larynx. She tried to pry his hand from her throat to no avail. A second pair of hands tried to help dislodge the tightening hands but it was no use Angel was not letting go. Beverly finally gave up trying to force the man to let go and pulled out what Buffy thought to be a gun. Her eyes widened as Beverly took aim. Was she really going to shoot with her in the line of fire?_

_Buffy tried desperately to warn her off that course of action when Beverly fired. Buffy closed her eyes waiting for the incoming bullet to hit her. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes in time enough to see the doctor press a button on her gun and fire again. She watched this time as a ray of green light hit Angel square in the chest, the energy jostled his body and he grunted but that's about all it did to the vampire._

_Buffy rolled her eyes, 'great another thing she was going to have to explain,' that is if Angel didn't choke her to death. Buffy's ire rose and she locked her stance, grabbing hold to angels shirt Buffy violently pulled him out of the stasis unit and lifted him over her head and slammed him to the ground. The movement bruised her throat and brought her along with him to the ground because he refused to release his death grip. Beverly watched in awe and utter dismay as the two tousled on the floor. Buffy finally getting the upper hand claimed a position on top of an angered and confused Angel._

_Buffy punched him in between the eyes hard enough to knock some sense into the disoriented vampire. He let go of her throat and she let in some much needed air as Angel glanced around the room and back at a gasping Buffy._

"_Buffy?" Angel asked sheepishly. He started to apologize but she waved him off angrily. She was always the one he ended up hurting no matter what the circumstances and she was tired of it. Besides, she had bigger things to worry about. Namely, the red head that stood just feet away from them gaping at them like a fish out of water. Her eyes going from confusion to anger to fear and back again as her mind tried to make sense out of what she just saw. Buffy thought the expression was familiar, but couldn't quite place it._

'_Oh joy!' Buffy thought to herself as she got up and dusted herself off. She was going to leave explanations up to Giles, if he's awake at all that is. If he wasn't, well she was still going to leave them up to Giles. She felt tired and drained with the emotions and actions of the day. If she tried the explainy thing, it wouldn't end well. She just hoped that Dr. Crusher had something for her sore throat._

_Anya lay on the Biobed, pretending to be asleep; she'd been awake since Buffy left with that Doctor woman. She listened as Willow paced back and forth and checked on her friends several times. She thanked Dehoffyern that Willow was alive, but she was still afraid for her life. Therefore, she decided to wait for the opportune moment to get the hell out of Dodge, or wherever the hell she was. Hell dimensions didn't tend to have Doctors, at least not the kind that you wanted to fall prey to. She opened her eyes slightly when she heard Willow leave the premises, leaving only nurse Tranton who was busy tending to other things._

_Waiting just a few seconds more to make sure the coast was clear she finally jumped off the biobed and tried to bolt. She gasped loudly as a hand grabbed her from behind. She turned and tried to jerk away from her captor, but his grip only got stronger._

"_Oh no you don't, no running off for you. Hunting you down once was irritating enough, sit down!" he forcefully sat her back down unto the biobed._

_Anya looked up into Xander's angry eyes and started to plead for her life. "Listen Xander you guys don't need me anymore, Willows alive and well, let me go so…," Xander cut her off before she could finish._

"_Willow's alive?" He asked looking around the strange place he'd woken up. "You saw Willow, where is she?" he came towards her angrily making her shrink away from him._

_Nurse Tranton came in cautiously when he heard the commotion. Afraid that one of them would injure him again he drew the phaser he'd demanded after the assault by Faith and set it to stun. "Listen, you're friends are fine, you need to calm down and relax, Doctor Crusher will be back shortly and she'll explain everything._

_Xander lifted his hands in surrender and laughed nervously. "I'd have a little more faith in that if you didn't have a gun pointed at me, granted not much more, but a little." _

_Tranton didn't put down his guard. "I've had some less than friendly encounters with your friends, so I choose to steer on the side of caution, if that's okay with you." he replie with elaborate irony._

_Xander shrugged and cautiously sat back down on the biobed all the while keeping a close eye on Anya and the man with the gun._

_Nurse Tranton calmed down a bit after that but never lowered his phaser. He decided that safeguarding the ship against these people might be a good idea, as they had more than once put it and the crew in a frenzy without even being conscious._

_He breathed a sigh of relief when the Captain and Commander Riker stepped into sickbay. The Captain raised an eyebrow when he saw an otherwise docile Tranton with his phaser raised on their now awake guest._

"_Is there a problem Lieutenant?" the Captain asked as he stepped closer to Tranton._

_Nurse Tranton lowered his phaser and smiled sheepishly. "No Captain, just trying to keep the peace here," he gestured at the two sitting there curiously. "Without getting clobbered or strangled again."_

_Picard nodded understandingly and turned towards his guests._

_Anya and Xander looked at one another with frowns on their faces. 'Captain?' they mouthed to one another wondering where the hell they had landed._

_Before they could question the Captain Beverly, Buffy and a black-eyed and bruised Angel came barreling in arguing with one another. Nurse Tranton left immediately, not wanting to spend another second in the room with these volatile people and he knew the Captain and the other Commanders could keep things in tact without his presence._

_"I'm saying that a human girl shouldn't have that kind of strength Buffy and you and your friends did come from a time we call the Eugenic wars when people were doing a lot of very ill-advised genetic engineering. I just want to run a few test to make sure you're not one of them, or if you are the changes are stable and not harmful!" Beverly said in a tone that left no room for disagreement. If she were talking to anyone but a Doctor phobic Buffy Summers, she would have had none._

_Buffy drew closer to Beverly in anger, objecting to her wanting to do test on her. "I will not have some Doctor I don't even know or trust poking, prodding and picking at me!"_

_The Captain whirled around at the mention of the eugenic wars and genetic engineering. What had the girl done to lead Beverly to suggest such a thing? He came behind Buffy intent on trying to calm her down a bit, but Buffy still riled up and on edge from the incident with Angel, perceived it as a threat and attacked. Beverly eyes widened in horror as Buffy reeled around and grabbed him by the throat and lifted him as far off the ground as her short reach allowed. 'Well that answered the question of why Beverly thought of genetic engineering,' Picard thought as he struggled against her hold around his throat, his hands clawing futilely at Buffy's._

_Buffy realized a moment later what she had done but before she could remedy the situation, Buffy's side exploded in pain by what felt like a taser shot, sending a mild electrical shock through her body. She dropped the Captain and whirled around to her assailant, a short-haired blonde stood in shock as Buffy tried to rush her. Tasha quickly upped her phaser setting with a one-fingered twist and fired quickly, shooting Buffy in the chest at point blank range as she flew through the air. Buffy landed at her feet with a quiet thump._

_All Hell broke loose as Angel and Xander yelled in anger and tried to get to the woman that shot Buffy. Riker took Xander down in one quick move and held the boy still. Anya saw her chance to make good with the group and jumped upon his back and tried to get him off Xander. Tasha re-aimed her phaser trying to get in a good shot of Riker's attackers but was afraid she would hit Riker in the process, so she stepped over Buffy's prone Body to drag the ex vengeance demon of his back._

_Angel tried to grab Tasha but she turned quickly and tossed him over her head, not expecting her to move so quickly he looked up at her in awe. He had never had a human female take him down like that, other than Buffy that is, he wondered if there was more to her than met the 's security team lifted there phasers to start to take some people down but the Captain waved them down immediately. _

_With Anya in Tasha's grip and Riker with Xander firmly in control, Captain Picard tried to gain some semblance of control again as he addressed the crew and his pest, or guest. "Everyone stand down and be calm." The Captain let out a sigh of relief when everyone stopped struggling and gave him the floor. Then Worf limped in with a bloodied and unconscious young woman in his arms and a once again crying Willow. Xander growled and tried once again to free himself from Riker's grip but Riker held him in place forcefully. Captain Picard and Riker looked at Worf with great disappointment._

_Worf looked at the two of them and knew immediately what they were thinking. He rumbled and started to defend himself. "I didn't do this!" he put Faith on the nearest empty Biobed. _

"_I may have engaged her in battle but this warrior defeated me. The damage you see here captain she caused this, she's Q captain."Worf glared at a distraught Willow._

_Captain Picard turned to Willow with trepidation, hoping that Worf was mistaken. He noticed the utter confusion on the young girls face, but for all he knew this was some insane game that Q was playing with them yet again. The captain rubbed his hands over his dome and looked around the room and cursed silently. If they were dealing with both Q and genetically engineered super humans, they were in a world of trouble._

_Star Trek Facts_

_QI'yaH: One of the strongest, most foul Klingon expressions; it defies translation._

_A morgue was a facility or specific area used to store the bodily remains of the recently deceased for purposes of identification of the body, autopsy, and other postmortem activities._

_The Enterprise NX-01 had a morgue. In 2153 to 2154, the bodies of Damron and his associates were kept in Enterprise's morgue, after their defeat at the hands of Archer and T'Pol in the year 2004. (ENT: "Carpenter Street", "The Forgotten")_

_Later in 2154, Enterprise's cargo bay served temporarily as a morgue for the 31 Humans who died in the bombing of the United Earth Embassy on Vulcan. The coffins were draped with Earth Starfleet flags. (ENT: "The Forge")_

_On many starships, sickbay or another medical facility contains storage areas that use stasis fields to preserve the dead until autopsy, transport, or burial. In 2369, Doctor Crusher used such a device to hold the body of Reyga while she attempted to gain approval from the deceased's family to perform an autopsy. (TNG: "Suspicions")_

_The storage devices can also be used to keep living beings in stasis, which might mask their life signs from sensors. (VOY: "Renaissance Man", "Basics, Part II")_

_On Cardassian space stations, the stasis room normally acts as the morgue. (DS9: "The Passenger")_

_Starfleet officer Jean-Luc Picard visited the corpse of his dead friend, Jack Crusher in the morgue of Starbase 32 in2353. (TNG: "Violations")_

_In 2367, the medical team aboard the USS Enterprise-D set up a room as a temporary morgue for the bodies ofUSS Brattain personnel. (TNG: "Night Terrors")_


	13. Fear and Loathing

Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS that honor is all Joss Whedon's and Star Trek TNG Belongs to Gene Roddenberry and Paramount.

Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :)

Willow looked around the sickbay, noticing all eyes were on her. She gulped and quelled her impulse to cry or run away. Wiping away the few stray tears that remained she glanced at the alien whose life she had saved. "I am not a letter of the alphabet. And what does the letter q have to do with anything?" she asked in a quavery voice.

The captain held Worf back with a look as he growled in frustration and prepared to attack what he thought was Q.

The captain stepped forward and spoke with indignation. "Q if this is one of your tests we are not amused or in the mood!" Willow looked confused. Why they were calling her a letter of the freaking alphabet as if it was an imprecation was beyond her.

"Captain I promise I'm not this Q you speak of," Willow looked at him with sad eyes.

Buffy groaned and began to awaken. "Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?" she got up slowly and her eyes locked unto the shorthaired blonde who shot her. "Never mind I have it in my sights and I'm about to take it down." Buffy started to go for the security officer; Tasha raised her phaser again and started to fire.

"Buffy don't!" Willow cried out, she didn't want anyone else getting hurt.

Before things could escalate any further, the Captain prepared to send everyone to the brig when a British voice spoke calmly. "I may be able to explain things a bit if you allow me, uhm… Captain?" Picard turned to see the last of this infamous group awake and rubbing his aching neck as he glanced at his surroundings, his eyes locked onto a bloodied faith and his eyes darkened.

"I doubt you could explain sufficiently enough to convince us, but you may try," Picard gestured for Tasha to lower her weapon and Giles gave Buffy a look that said stand down. Both blondes fell in line to the men they looked up to and respected. But both men could sense their reluctance as well.

"But first I will need a gesture of good faith from all of you to prove that you and your people are not a danger to my crew," Picard looked at each of them daring them to refuse.

Giles sighed but knew he would have to bend to a certain extent to get past this dangerous point. "If it is within our ability to do so Captain we will, but first, If I may I ask, what happened to my charge?" Giles' voice took on a menacing tone that made Worf step forward to protect his Captain.

Willows control slipped and she started balling her eyes out again and she ran over and hugged him tightly. "Giles it's all my fault, I went looking for Faith to stop her from doing something stupid. When I found her she was about to snap Wolfs neck," she pointed at Worf as she frantically explained. All the while, you could hear the klingon growl in the background that his name was Worf not Wolf.

"I yelled for her to stop and I raised my hands and that's when she flew into the wall and hit it hard. I don't know what happened or how I did what I did but I nearly killed her," her sobs were uncontrollable as she buried her head into her mentors chest and Giles barely heard the last of her story because of it.

Picard's worries subsided somewhat as he realized the girl had tried to save Worfs life. However, that still didn't explain how she'd done what she'd done or how Faith had defeated Worf and that in itself gave him pause. He gave Beverly silent approval to her earlier suggestion and she quietly went to prepare what she needed.

He thought that his movement had gone unnoticed until he looked into the distrusting eyes of Rupert Giles. "What may I ask is needed of us captain?" Giles asked in a warning tone.

Captain Picard sighed and looked to his crew. They all looked back in support of whatever decision he was about to make. They trusted his judgment to the utmost, like a good Starfleet crew needed to trust their Captain. He nodded and proceeded with his course of action.

"In the light of all that has happened, I regret that I shall have to put you and you're charges in the Brig until such time that we can confirm that you and yours are not a treat to my crew. Furthermore I shall require that all in your present company undergo certain testing to prove that you are human, genetically engineered, or otherwise," the Captain felt older than his age today as he felt he was giving out a sentence to these people. Genetically Engineered people did not have much of a life within the federation. If they couldn't return to their own time, if they really were from the past, their lives would not be pleasant.

Buffy and Xander both growled heatedly at the Captain's proposal and moved as if they were about to attack again, they were both stopped in their tracks by Giles' disapproving look.

"We will do whatever we can Captain, to set your mind at ease and quiet your worries, be assured that we mean you and your crew no harm," Giles smiled weakly. "Despite apparant evidence to the contrary."

Picard nodded toward Tasha who efficiently led the Sunnydale group to the Brig minus Faith who Nurse Ogawa was now prepping for surgery.

Cellblock 1 The Slayer and her Vampire lover

Buffy paced back and forth, feeling quite claustrophobic and on edge in her shiny new jail cell. She wondered why her watcher would agree to such a thing as locking them up like this. They had no idea where they were and she didn't trust these people as far as Xander could throw them. She knew that allowing tests would lead to more questions, questions that they wouldn't be able or willing to answer. In addition, they had separated them, only allowing two to a cell and she was presently alone with the last person she wanted.

"Buffy you need to calm down and save your energy, working yourself up into a frenzy is not going to help the situation," Angel tried to sound gentle but ended up sounding condescending.

Buffy stopped in her tracks and scowled at him. "I could if I had a clue where the hell we are and if they hadn't separated us. How do we even know that they're not torturing the others right now?" She tried to walk through the barrier that blocked her freedom; instead, she was knocked on her ass for her trouble as the energy screen knocked her back.

Angel rushed towards her to make sure she was okay. "Buffy are…," Buffy cut him off with a growl and quickly got up and sat down on the strangely comfortable seating and pouted.

Angel sighed and took his seat as well. He tried not to feel hurt or put out about the way she was treating him but it was difficult. He loved her more than his unlife and when she got like this, it stung his unbeating heart. He hoped that this had nothing to do with Faith and how she found them talking together.

"Buffy is there something wrong between us? It seems..." Buffy cut him off again.

"Nothing I can't deal with or get over quickly," She said bitingly and the two sat the rest of their time in dead silence, with Angely glumly contemplating that things between him and Buffy were worse than he'd thought.

Cellblock 2 The Witch and the One who sees.

Xander tried to comfort Willow as she buried her face in his chest. He didn't quite understand how she thought that she had done something to Faith. He'd seen her when that demon had carried Faith in and it looked as if she'd taken on a semi and lost. There is no way Willow could have done all that.

"Willow can you calm down enough to tell me why you believe that you are responsible for what happened to Faith," He felt Willow stiffen in his arms.

Willow pried herself away and walked across the small little cell. "I don't know how I did it Xander, strange things have been happening to me since I arrived here," she paused for a second and thought about it. "No scratch that, it started when I did that stupid spell with Anya. Xander if you saw the things that were scrambling around in my head when we did that spell," she stopped talking and began to hyperventilate as she remembered all the visions that had exploded inside her mind.

Xander rushed to her and embraced her trying to get her to calm down before she passed out. "Willow, it's going to be okay, we'll figure this whole mess out and get home somehow. Then will look back on all this and laugh. Now breath slowly. In... Out..."

Willow sighed and sunk her head, she hoped that he was right but something told her that before this was all over something life changing would happen and no one would ever be the same again.

"Do you have any idea where we're at anyway?" Xander asked.

Willow laughed nervously and began to tell an awe stricken and fully geeked out Xander Lavelle Harris where they had landed. Then it was Willow who was calming him down she laughed inwardly at the sudden role reversal. At least it did calm her somewhat.

Cellblock3 the Watcher & The irritating ex-vengeance demon

"This is your fault you know," Anya scowled at him for what had become of her life.

"What are you chuntering on about woman," Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd rather be in this bloody cell with Xander than with this daft woman. She'd been glaring daggers at him and going on about something or other since they were placed in this cell. One would think he had destroyed her whole world or left her at the altar.

"If it wasn't for you and your watcheryness, I would be living it up in my latest assignments reality instead of stuck in Sunnydale doing the angsty teenager thing again," Anya pouted and crossed her arms.

Giles started to say something to the obviously disturbed woman when Captain Picard graced them with his presence. He stood there examining them for a few seconds before he decided to speak.

His gaze landed on Giles. "As you seem to be the responsible adult of the group, and believe me I'm saying that loosely. You're charges have set my crews teeth on edge and caused unwarranted injuries among my crew... You said you could explain," Picard's brow rose, he had his doubts that the man before him would be able to explain anything that had happened on his ship to his satisfaction.

Giles nodded and Picard motioned for the security guard to lower the force field. He began to lead Giles out of the brig when a shriek made both of them wince.

"You're not going to leave me in here all by my lonesome," Anya yelled and started to run after them when the guard blocked her phaser at the ready.

"Anya I will return shortly, then maybe all of this will be cleared up and we can then focus on getting home," He then turned and walked out with the captain leaving Anya behind to stew in her own fear. He also wondered how he could explain things without the captain thinking he was daft or a liar or both.

Worf came back into sickbay, he glanced around nervously. He didn't want to explain why he had come back. He didn't even understand why himself. He walked up to the little slip of a girl that had beaten him in battle and growled. She looked so fragile laying there; he didn't understand how this human female had taken him down as if he was nothing more than verengan Ha'DIbah. He studied her unconscious form as if boring into her flesh with his klingon eyes would reveal the answers he sought.

He came closer and that same feeling came over him, the feeling of his klingon blood boiling in anticipation of meeting a warrior worthy to meet him in battle. Or was it something deeper than that. Yes, it was much more than that, He felt as though he'd finally encountered his tlq Cha'DIch. He growled at the thought of that, this mach tera'nga be'Hom could never be that for him. He didn't even know this girl or of her honor yet his klingon heart burned for this warrior.

Almost against his will and better judgment, he touched her face. A higher power grabbed a hold of his mind and hers and they began their leghtaltghach ylt, neither realizing that when their quest was finished it would change their lives forever.

British words and terms:

chunter

(sometimes chunner) to mutter, to grumble, to talk continuously; "What's he chuntering on about?"

tlhIngan Hol-Klingon language (curses and words)

be'Hom - girl

cha'DIch - second

leghtaHghach - vision

mach - small

tIq - heart

verengan Ha'DIbaH - Ferengi dog

yIt - walk

Tera'ngan - terran (from earth)


	14. A Walk to Remember

_You Cannot Just Watch, You Must See_

_Deanna walked up the street of this strange town bewildered. She knew she was on earth of the past from the greenery and the make of the homes and the cars that were parked in… what did they call them port ways? No driveways she believed. It was all a bit disconcerting. Had she been thrown back in time somehow? Did the enterprise know where she was? It was busy, full of people screaming and panicking and growling in what had to be costumes. She tried to reach out empathically to the creatures that were running around causing havoc but she couldn't read them and they had yet to notice her even though she walked openly down the dark street. It was if they weren't there, that wasn't it; it was as if she was dreaming or on the holodeck watching all of this unfold._

_She took a moment to try to remember anything from before she found herself in this place. Nothing came to mind until she saw a familiar face in the crowd and everything from the past few weeks came rushing back. She spotted Willow running towards a young man with a gun. She yelled out for Willow to be careful before she realized no one could hear her in this place. She let out a sigh of relief when she recognized the young man as one of Willows friends that had followed her onto the ship. Then she almost screamed when he walked right through her._

_Deanna watched the scene unfold in fascination. She watched Willow reunite with her two friends only to realize that they didn't know who or what she was or who they really were. She followed them as they ran into what Willow said was a friend's house._

_She examined the whole scene in utter confusion. Listening to Willow's conversation it was as if they had things like this happening to them all the time. Then the scenery changed all of a sudden almost making Deanna nauseous._

_She had somehow been transported to a playground that looked untouched by children. In the background lay contrasting scenery of desert terrain and off in the distance she could barely make a lone figure crouched down in an animal like stance. She started to cross over into the desert land when she heard what sounded like children arguing. She stopped her trek into the desert and turned to see two children sitting in a sand box filled with yellow crayons tugging on what looked like a doll. They had their backs to her but she could tell that it was a dark haired boy and redheaded little girl struggling with each other, something seemed all too familiar about this scene and Deanna couldn't place why._

_"Xander, she's mine you can't have her!" screamed the little red head._

_The boy didn't say a word; he just pulled harder until the little girl couldn't hold unto her prized possession any longer. He then smiled and ran off into the sunset while she sat there crying and looking for the entire world that she had lost more than just a doll._

_Deanna's heart went out to her and she started to go and comfort the young girl. Before she could take one-step, she heard a feral growl behind her and was spun around by strong arms and thrown into the desert land. She tried to get up but something dark and wild was upon her within seconds ripping and tearing at her flesh trying to gain access to her insides. Deanna screamed and tried to fight back but she couldn't, it was too strong for her to fight. She looked around to find some type of weapon to fend off her attacker. That's when she saw a young blonde standing there watching this thing attack her, she tried to scream out for the young girl to help her but she couldn't form any words. The pain was excruciating, tears flowed down her face as the young blond slowly walked up to her and her attacker. She knelt down and began to stroke Deanna's hair._

_"You think you know what you are, what's to come. You haven't even begun," The young blond paused and looked out unto the desert land with sad haunted eyes. Deanna followed her gaze and saw something that stopped her heart. Her crewmates were fighting things that a first glance looked like an alien species but her heart told her it was something darker, an evil beyond her imagining._

_ Her friend Beverly was the first to go down as one of the creatures literally ripped the heart out of her chest, bloodily shattering the redhead's ribcage with huge, sharp-clawed hands. Then Wesley in his grief was skewered from behind as he lay crying at his mother's side. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as Riker, her Imzadi, had his neck snapped viciously by one of the creatures. Deanna tried to squirm her way out of her assailants grip as she gazed into the now dead vacant eyes of her crewmate, her first love._

_Captain Picard, Tasha and Worf were the last to go down as they fought for their lives; Picard visibly struggled with his disgust and rage at their situation. He took several of his attackers out before he was finally put down with brutal blow to the head that split it down the middle._

_ Tasha tried to take out several creatures down with phaser fire before she realized it wasn't harming them in the least, not even on the highest setting. She finally began hand to hand combat using several of her fighting techniques she'd learned on her home planet as well as Starfleet, she held her own for quite a while, dealing death and injury, until a large creature took her into its steel arms and crushed the security chief's body and dropped her broken unto the desert ground. _

_Worf fought with all the ferocity of his Klingon heart and heritage. It looked as if he had taken out hundreds of his enemy, tearing through them like tissue paper with his Bat'leth before one got the better of him and ripped him apart at the midsection. His lower body falling to its knees and then over and his torso landing several yards away. Smaller creatures immediately gathered to eat his entrails even as Worf kept feebly moving until he finally died._

_Deanna wept bitterly for her friends, helpless to do anything to save them, slowly the young girl that watched with her returned her full gaze onto Deanna. She smiled with a force that warmed Deanna's heart and made her forget the pain of what was happening to her friends._

_"Are you ready to be strong?" Tara's eyes blazed with fire and ice as she witness the birth of something old as the ages. Her attacker ripped into her and Deanna as she was, was no more._

Deanna awoke with a start in sickbay. Her body felt strong, her spirit felt free and in her mind, she could hear the cries and fight and strength of others before her. She knew what she was and she was ready for what was to come, she was ready to be strong.

Beverly sat at her desk baffled at the results of the test. She had set it up to find any and all anomalies within the DNA of their guests. But the results had repeatedly come up negative for anything out of the ordinary. Except for the ordinary mutations, that one might expect from living in an environment as polluted and irradiated as the late twentieth century earth, there was nothing extraordinary about their DNA. The strontium tests she'd run concurrently did conclusively prove that most of the group were California natives, and ate far too much junk food. The oldest male, Giles, was British and seemed to have done his body little good by considerable amounts of alcohol and drugs. The drugs seemed to be a thing of his past but the alcohol was still very present.

The medical anomaly came from Angel, whose DNA test had to be wrong. Both his mitochondrial DNA and strontium test showed him to be much, much older than the others, as much as two centuries and that he'd been born in Ireland. He had immunities to versions of Yersinia Pestis, the Black Death, that had become extinct in the eighteenth century.

She sat back in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. She'd been doing that a lot lately and its usual neat appearance replaced by a rather wild hairstyle with lots of wayward locks. She tapped the computer again, calling up more possibilities, chemical enhancements that had been used in the past, from EPO to human growth hormone. Other, more dangerous drugs, like PCP, were suggested by the computer and discarded by Beverly, though she was shocked by what people had done to themselves in those long gone days.

There had to be something more to this, especially with the Summers girl, there was no way she was not genetically engineered. Considering what she'd done Beverly wasn't even sure that she was human. However, the results had all but negated that option. Unless someone was interfering with her tests, Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane were normal Human girls.

She thought about what to try next, she was sure the computer had missed something. She started to run the test again when the computer beeped. It had finally found something.

Beverly knew that computers didn't have a sense of humor, Data himself often struggled with humor. But she stood there, eyebrow rising to her hairline in true Spock fashion, taking in what the diagnostics had found and thought either the computer was malfunctioning or it had perfected the art of the practical joke, Something that Data had sought to grasp all his life.

"That's not possible!" Beverly growled, her anger fierce enough to burn the results just by looking at them. Her disbelief increased by the minute as she read the result over and over again about the young redhead that had dropped into their lives unexpectedly and from another time. Beverly would have laughed if it was not so damned hurtful in so many ways.

She shook her head and hit her combadge harder then intended. "Data, I need you down in sickbay now!" Beverly rubbed her shoulder as she continued to stare holes into the results.

"On my way, Doctor," Data said without asking any question. He noted that she had sounded a bit upset and frantic and it never was a good idea to ask question like he always like to do when she was in a mood.

When Data made it to sickbay, he found Beverly pacing the length of her office with a deep scowl on her face. He was curious as to what had brought on the behavior she was displaying.

Beverly stopped pacing when she notice Data standing there waiting. She turned towards him and pointed at the results in an animated way. "I want you to read that and tell me what you make of it.

Data walked up to the computer and quickly read the results on the screen. His head quirked to the side and he turned to the Doctor. "Congratulations Dr Crusher, It's a girl," Beverly rolled her eyes as Data blinked at her, wondering what he had said.

~%~

Worf and Faith slowly woke up together and looked into each other's eyes. All malice and confusion gone and all that stood between them was raw truth and understanding.

Worf's chest rose and he took his fellow warriors hand and gripped it tightly. " ta' SoH voq jIH!"

Faith locked fiery eyes unto her second heart and roared. "tlhej wIj yIn."

Klingon translation.

ta' SoH voq jIH!: Do you trust me!  
tlhej wIj yIn: With My Life.


	15. The Way of a Warrior

Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS that honor is all Joss Whedon's and Star Trek TNG Belongs to Gene Roddenberry and Paramount.

Thank you to my Beta and collaborators, vidicon and Allenpitt, you are greatly appreciated. :) Any mistakes are still mine. Anything within italics is dream state/vison walk.

Just so everyone knows it will be awhile for the next chapter. I will be going into surgery today and won't be able to get to my computer for a while. I also want to thank vidicon for the well wishes. It is appreciated. By the way the scenes between Worf and Faith are Dream state.

:) til next chapter.

"_We are not accorded the luxury of choosing the women we fall in love with. Do you think Sirella is anything like the woman I thought that I'd marry? She is a prideful, arrogant, mercurial woman who shares my bed far too infrequently for my taste. And yet... I love her deeply. We Klingons often tout our prowess in battle, our desire for glory and__honor__above all else... but how hollow is the sound of victory without someone to share it with? Honor gives little comfort to a man alone in his home... and in his__heart__._"

- **Martok**, to Worf discussing marriage

"_To this very day, no one can oppose the beating of two Klingon hearts... Not even me._"

- **Sirella**, officiating Worf and Jadzia's wedding ceremony.

The beating of the drums played relentlessly while he stood their trying to sort out his surroundings. The land around him was very familiar yet unfamiliar to him. It felt like home but of another age, another time. The warrior growled as he studied the place that he found himself. Hot and unforgiving was the atmosphere, so much so that the air burned his nostrils. A bitter smell carried along the wind. This was not a hospitable place but he recognized it, he'd been here before. Dangers that would mean his death if one was not vigilant, he could smell the embers of death all around him yet he did not fear. He was Klingon and death was an enemy to battle with mercilessly, until it was time to embrace it.

The lava caves of No'Mat, he knew them well. The last time he set foot in this place, he was given his purpose. He did not know what was in store for him, it was not commonplace that one would enter the Rite of MajQa for a second time, not unheard of but rarely done. He would be ready nonetheless, a Klingon was always ready and vigilant it was a part of honor. His instincts told him that someone stood beside him before he even laid eyes upon them. A warrior that he somehow knew would have his back in the coming tide. His thoughts gave him pause, the coming tide, he knew it was coming, it was inevitable, there was no escaping, they are coming.

His companion stood with all the grace and fearsomeness that was within her. She gradually scanned her surroundings; it was alien to her yet not. Her skin itched for battle, every fiber of her being told her that soon she would be in the fight of her life and she yearned for it. Eyes glancing left then right and then to her companion before her, she knew he felt it to. The beating of the drums within, that gentle beat that called for battle. Her companion finally turned to her in all of this, her face gave no hints of fear or cowardice, just confusion and a readiness for combat. The confusion gave way when the roar came, they both tense for battle as they felt the thunder of what was heading their way. With feral grins plastered upon their faces, they readied themselves. They are coming.

Beverly looked disgusted with Data but she slowly calmed herself when she realized that he hadn't intended to make light of this delicate and preposterous situation. 'How was this even possible, it can't be, it must be computer error,' she tried to convince herself, because she didn't want to believe the alternative. Which was that she had had a daughter that she didn't know about that had somehow been whisked away to the late end 20th century. She refused to believe that. Only deeply ingrained habits kept her from swearing, even in her mind.

"Data I would like a full diagnostic on all systems in sickbay, there is no way it is not malfunctioning here," She looked at Data daring him to disagree with her. "Probably something fairly fundamental in the scanning algorithms."

Data obviously didn't catch or misinterpreted her look as he went on to explain. "Doctor, Geordi and I have run a full diagnostic. Bar a few very minor faults in the plasma conduits and a touch screen that had a slightly deficient reaction time, there were no problems. These faults were repaired and all systems are running at above optimum required specifications," if Data were anything but the android that he was he would have backed up at the animalistic growl that came from the doctor. All her growl accomplished was for him to tilt his head in a questioning way, which made Beverly even angrier.

"Data, run the diagnostic again, and again until you find whatever is wrong with the scanners. Because I refuse to believe that I had a daughter that spent most of her life in the 20th century, a daughter that I had no knowledge of!" Beverly yelled in the android's face, having inched toward him with every word until she was almost pressed up to him.

Data had enough self- preservation instincts not to ask the doctor for an explanation of her behavior as she ended her rant. He was quite sure the way she leaned into him and shivered was not for the same reason Tasha had during the virus outbreak. 'I shall ask Counselor Troi, later,' Data thought to himself.

So Data just nodded and went on to do as she suggested, He was unaware of the details, though as the officer in charge of the assignments, he knew the bare bones of every crewmember's life and therefore of Dr. Crushers life as well. He knew she had only given birth to one child, Wesley Crusher. He knew that the Sickbay computer was not malfunctioning as he himself as well as Geordi had gone over every system piece by piece. He had personally read every line of code in the algorithms and compared them with what they should be and even with the additions made by the crew over time; they should not be showing the current results. Unless it were the truth, but he complied because he realized Dr. Crusher needed the reassurance. 'Deanna will be proud that I made that deduction'

While running the third full diagnostic on Sickbay's systems, he was also contemplating the strangeness that was humanity. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Dr. Crusher did not seem to want to believe that the girl was genetically her daughter, merely because of the lack of gestation. There were at least seventeen ways known to Data that allowed for the facts of the case. The one he had currently placed at the top of the list of possibilities consisted merely of the letter 'Q. He knew little of the Doctor and her general behavior and therefore he wondered how the doctor would come to handle becoming the mother to a brand new teenage girl from a different era of the world with a radically different worldview. It was bound to result in interesting situations which would further his own knowledge of humanity.

In the meantime, Beverly decided to pay a visit to the girl in question whose very existence seemed hell bent on causing upheavals in all of their lives. She didn't realize that a certain son of hers had heard her conversation and had beaten her to the punch.

Giles sat in a chair across from a now impatient Captain Picard, contemplating how he would or what he would explain to him. He took his glasses off and started to clean them but had second thoughts as the captain got out of his seat.

"Would you like some tea?" the captain asked politely, in his most urbane tones. The man before him seemed to be a bit perturbed about what to tell him and a spot of tea might be just the thing to calm him. Though agitation might lead him to reveal things under stress, Picard much preferred his guests at ease, in an atmosphere of as much trust as could be maintained. It made for better relations later, he had found.

Giles smiled and relaxed a bit. "Yes please captain. That would be lovely."

"What do you prefer?" Captain Picard asked as he went to the replicator. "We have a wide selection programmed, but I fear I do not know if all of the blends of the late twentieth century are part of that," he added apologetically.

"Do you have the Twining's' chai with clove, ginger and cinnamon?" Giles smiled. "I admit I drink that with milk and sugar."

Picard pursed his lips. Twinings? That is a brand yes? That would be a rather soothing blend?"

Giles nodded and smiled wryly. "Would you not want a soothing blend in my situation?"

Picard nodded in acknowledgement and checked the menu. "We seem to have it listed, but I cannot guarantee it is exactly the same."

Giles wave a hand. "Nothing is the same. Though to lose my tea would be a great blow."

Picard smiled slightly and ordered a creamer and sugar bowl to twentieth century standards, and then spoke. "Twinning hot with ginger and cloves and cinnamon, and Earl Grey hot."

Giles' eyebrow rose as the sugar and cream appeared and were placed on the table and rose even higher when two tea cups two tea cups, one rather modern and one much like he was used to materialized out of thin air. They rose even more as the captain brought over two hot cups of tea. Giles accepted his cup and he could smell the spices wafting from the cup, the aroma soothing him before he even took a sip. Then he added his cream and sugar to taste. He waited for the captain to take his sit and then they both took a sip of their preferred tea before the formalities began. Giles observed that this was very well and good cup of tea, but not quite like a freshly brewed cup of tea, almost but not quite. There was something lacking, possibly the very act of brewing.

He took a few more sips before he started. He looked up at the captain and sighed. "I dare say Captain Picard; I don't quite know where to begin."

"Start from the beginning my good sir," the captain said as he took another sip of his earl grey.

Giles studied the captain trying to gauge his mood, but couldn't make out anything to let him know what kind of man the captain was or how he would take what he was about to tell him. Giles gazed around the room the captain had brought him to and he gaze startled and stopped at an artifact he knew all too well. He looked from the artifact and then at the captain and the repeated the action several more times.

The captain followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow. He looked back at his guest questioningly. "Is there a problem Mr. Giles?"

"Where did you get that captain?" Giles said with fear in his voice.

Captain Picard gave the artifact one last look, confused as to why it would strike such fear in his guest. "Me and a professor friend of mine found this on an archeological dig in the underground caverns of a well known Sinkhole in California, near the Santa Barbara area," Picard stopped as Giles visibly swallowed.

"What sink hole?" Giles asked, fearing the answer.

The captain backtracked fearing that he may be giving the man information on some future event that hadn't happened yet. "Let's get back on track, you still need to explain how you and your charges got here, and how three of them have the abilities that they have," Picard stated simply.

Giles sighed in relief; something told him he really didn't want to know too much about this sinkhole the captain told him about. In his time, no such thing existed yet, and this place that they found themselves in could be an alternate dimension altogether. His eyes slowly planted themselves unto the artifact once again and his gut told him that his deduction was far from correct and that he should find out all he could. He finally gave the captain his undivided attention his gaze locked and intense, he had decided to tell the captain the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help him. It was all because of a little artifact that the captain had hanging on his wall. He hadn't seen the Shard of Stronnos since he was a child.

"Well captain, the world is older than you think…."

Wesley rushed to the brig to see the people that caused so much commotion since they arrived. He'd wanted to see them way before now but wasn't able to. He'd gone to ask his mother permission to go when he happened upon her and Data's conversation. His jaw completely fell to the floor at his mother's revelation. 'He had a sister? What and how?' His mind was reeling at this new development, a sister. A SISTER!

Wesley knew he wouldn't be easy to gain access to the brig. Every since the incident in engineering everyone would be watching him like a hawk despite that he had a hand in helping the ship and crew out of the predicament they were in. 'Okay, so I was also partly responsible for the predicament we were in,' he admitted to himself.

He knew it would be risky and he would get into a lot of trouble but he had to see the girl that was supposed to be his sister. He turned the corner and noticed a security officer standing outside and sighed. He was so hoping that it would be one of the younger officers and then maybe he could talk his way into the brig without any trouble. With his resolve face on he went to confront the security personnel.

Lt. JG Dorcell looked over at Wesley Crusher as he approached. He frowned in displeasure, he'd been given extra drill runs per his head of Security Lt. Yar because of this kid and the one presently locked in the brig. "What can I do for you Crusher?" The security officer asked bitterly.

Wesley smiled and came closer. "I was just running errands for my mom and she wanted me to come by and give our guests a message and see how they're holding up."

The Lieutenant wasn't buying it for a minute, "Why couldn't she come down herself or send one of her nurses?"

Well she and Data are working on something really important, and her nurses are busy making Sickbay ready after the near disaster," Wesley said with a pure innocent look on his face.

It wasn't the first time this kid had pulled something like this and the last time he nearly got everyone killed. "Sorry kid, but I'll have to check that story," he started to hit his come badge when Wesley sighed and shook his head.

"Well if you have to, but Dr Crusher and the bridge crew are going to be really upset if you interrupt them over something as trivial as this. Wesley stood waiting for the Lt to make his next move.

The Lieutenant's hand hovered over his com badge wavering, did this really warrant bothering the others for. Damn it maybe he should have done a few more drill runs. He snarled and eyed Wesley suspiciously. "Make it quick Crusher!" he stepped aside to let him through.

Wesley smiled and quietly entered the brig. He slowly walked over to the now sleeping red head whose head was now using her companions lap as a pillow. Wesley cleared his throat and the dark haired boy looked up at him and scowled.

"Who are you?" Xander asked. "Come to gawk at the monkeys have you?"

Wesley looked at him alarmed. "No, uhm… my name is Wesley Crusher and I've come to talk to my sister."

Xander laughed as he looked at Wesley. "Do they make it a habit of putting your sister in jail? Is she a bad girl?" Xander joked lightly and smiled.

Wesley narrowed his eyes in anger and straightened his back in ire. "I don't know you tell me, she's sitting in your lap and you probably know her better than I do. Is she a bad girl?" Wesley crossed his arms and waited for an answer.

Xanders eyes widened as his mind tried to wrap around what the kid was trying to tell him. Willow was his sister, wait, what? That's not right. Xander shook his head vigorously and laughed waking Willow in the process.

"Xander!" Willow blinked sleepily, sounding a little worried and upset from being awakened so abruptly.

"Sorry Wils but the kid over there just said the funniest thing I've ever heard," Xander looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. He just couldn't wait to see her reaction to the "good" news.

"What's so funny about her being my sister?" Wesley retorted, Xander snorted.

Willow looked at the boy with concern. "Her who?"

"You is who, wils," Xander smiled like the joker. He was loving this little predicament a little too much.

"Me is who? I can't be the who he is talking about," Willow shook her head and eyed Xander angrily. "Talk normal Xander!"

"I just want to know how you're my sister," Wesley stood there indignant about them ignoring him.

Willow got up and walked over to the force field that separated them. "I can't be your sister; I'm not even from around here. I'm not even from this time and the jury still out on whether or not we're even in the same dimension. So you see I can't be your sister." Willow finished finally.

"That's not what the test says, my mom ran test on each of you trying to find if one or all of you were genetically engineered and the test revealed a genetic link between you and her, a very specific link only seen between Mother and child. So you see, you're my sister," Wesley stated simply.

Willow looked at him in disbelief, this wasn't even remotely possible, how could a child from the 20th century be the offspring of a woman from the 23rd. Then her mind caught up to what he was saying.

"Wait, your mom? Dr Crushers your mom?" Wesley just nodded.

Beverly reached the brig, her face thoughtful. The lieutenant at the duty station gave her a confused look. "I thought you were busy reconfiguring Sickbay, Doctor?"

Beverly's eyes narrowed. "How would you know that?"

"Errr…. Your son told me. When he came just now with your message…." Dorcell swallowed when he saw the Doctor's face. 'It's gonna be a while before you get that promotion to Senior Grade, Dorcie old man,'

"You let Wesley into the brig?" Crusher almost spat. "Whatever for? What were you thinking?"

Dorcell managed to hide his wince. 'Make that a demotion back to ensign.'

Crusher shook her head. "Never mind, is he still there?"

"Yes Ma'am," Dorcell admitted.

"Then I will deal with him first. And if there's anything left, I shall leave that for Jean-Lu-, Captain Picard," Crusher grated out.

The first thing Beverly heard was Willow's incredulous and strangled "Dr. Crushers is your mom?"

She was about to rush over to the cell Wesley was in front of to scold her son for causing more trouble when she noticed Willows reaction to the news. She stopped and listened for a moment.

Willow thought about that and smiled, forgetting all about the impossibility of it all, it would be neat to have a mom like Dr. Crusher, her childhood might not have been so lonely if she had the Doctor in her life. Then reality smacked her in the face and she got back on track.

"I can't be your sister, it's just impossible, and if wishes were horses I still wouldn't make one because I have to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground and things like this don't just happen to me and this is ridiculous anyway a girl from the twentieth century can't be the daughter of a twenty third century woman, I am not your sister. Willow sighed and held her head down as she finished her babble fest.

Wesley just looked at her cross-eyed wondering if she ever breathed when she got like that. He glanced at Xander who just shook his head confirming his fears and then He jumped and looked guilty as his mother cleared her throat and spoke for the first time since she entered the room.

"That may not be true Willow," Beverly came over to the saddened girl wondering why she seemed disappointed that the results were not correct, All the while giving her son a scolding look for coming down to the brig without permission and stirring things up.

Willow looked up at Beverly with tears in her eyes that she refused to let fall. "Dr. Crusher? B-but it just isn't possible!"

Beverly held up her hand to stop Willows coming rant. "I know Willow, I'm right there with you. This is beyond impossibility, but test upon test come up with the same results, that you are my biological daughter. And to make matters even more confusing for us I cross checked you with Wesley and the results say that you two are fraternal twins,"

"That's not possible," Both Willow and Wesley said in unison.

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means," Xander smirked as Willow gave him the stink eye.

Beverly and Wesley merely looked confused, but Beverly decided to ignore the byplay and get to the gist of things.

I had Data run the test for me for a final time and the genetic markers are very clear, you my dear are a Crusher, I don't know how this is possible or why you ended up in the twentieth century, but you are the daughter of Jack Crusher and Beverly Howard."

Willow blinked. "Beverly Howard?"

Beverly smiled. My maiden name. "As for how all this happened I'd give even odds on Q being involved in this; he is the only entity that I can see meddling in someone's life like this for his own entertainment. I swear on my oath that I'll find a way to make him pay for this if he is involved," Beverly became angrier with each sentence.

The three family members stood for a long while just looking from one to another, wondering where to go from here. Willow still disbelieving but secretly hoping for the impossible, Wesley was catching flies as he tried to wrap his mind around the possibility that he not only had a sister, but a twin sister. Beverly was thinking that someone would have hell to pay for taking her little girl away. If they had.

Willow finally spoke up. "What kind of data program did you use and who is Q? Is he some type of 007 tech guy?" Xander burst out laughing.

iFaith Fought for her life, the creatures were unlike anything she'd seen before. Their grotesqueness was indescribable. Two were upon her as she fought; coming at her with deformed hooves and long monstrous arms one grabbed her from behind as the other tried to gut her with its spiked head. Faith head butted her captor and side stepped the other, she watched in morbid fascination as the spike tore into her previous captor tearing him to shreds. She smiled and beat upon her prey as they tried to attack her. Her companion was holding his own as he broke bone and tore sinew from his enemy.

Worf was in Sto'Vo'Kor, This battle was magnificent. He growled as enemy upon enemy went down bloody under his hand, under his might. He watched from the corner of his eye as the warrior beside him did the same, they were as one defeating the oncoming storm. They were like Lukara and Khaless standing side by side beheading and slaughtering the beasts that came upon them. The carnage was glorious, the battle fierce. When it was over the two almost wept as the battle ended. They stood facing one another with intense pleasure, the bodies that lay before them were innumerable and unrecognizable, Worf bared his teeth and his gaze bore through Faith wantonly. Faiths chest rose and fell vigorously her breathing labored not because of the battle but because of an old ailment of hers, hungry and horny crept upon her and like a ravenous wolf and she advance upon Worf and knocked him to the ground.

He growled as she kissed him long and hard reaping the uniform from his body as he did the same to her. The two became one. As they both climaxed Worf growled out in his Klingon tongue. "ta' SoH voq jIH!"

In response and to her surprise Faith smiled and said. "tlhej wIj yIn." /i

No'Mat Caves of No'Mat

**No'Mat** was a location in the mountains of the planet Qo'noS. In this location, there were lava caves. These caves played a role in the Rite of MajQa wherein a young Klingon while meditating would experience a vision. This vision, or hallucination depending upon one's interpretation, might play a role in the Klingon's future. When Worf was young, he ran away to the Caves of No'Mat and had a vision of Kahless, and was told that he'd do something no other Klingon had ever done. (TNG: "Birthright, Part I", "Rightful Heir"; DS9: "The Sword of Kahless")

Years later, when "Kahless" returned on Boreth, Worf was convinced that he was the real Kahless when he narrated his appearance and words he had said to the young Worf. ("Rightful Heir")

Afterlife

Klingons who follow the Way of the Warrior, the belief system developed by Kahless the Unforgettable, value honour above all else. Those who die with purpose and honour are said to join Kahless, who had been the first Klingon emperor and a messianic figure in the Way of the Warrior, in the Black Fleet in Sto'Vo'Kor, a paradise where battle and feasting can eternally be shared and won. Sto'Vo'Kor is similar to Valhalla of Earth's Viking culture.

The honoured dead are not mourned, but celebrated. The eyes of a dead warrior are opened, and all fellow Klingons present roar to tell the warriors in Sto'Vo'Kor that the warrior is joining them. The body of the dead warrior is viewed mainly as an empty shell to be disposed of; particularly well-respected warriors have their companions accompany the body for interment or disposal, "just" to keep away predators (though a privately held act of respect for the departed). Warriors who may have a question about whether they will be worthy to enter Sto'Vo'Kor, such as not having died in glorious battle, may have a dangerous quest held in their name by their surviving mate and his or her companions. Worf went on one such quest out of concern that Jadzia Dax would not enter Sto'Vo'Kor because she had been murdered by a possessed Gul Dukat. If they win their stated deed or battle, they win honor for their late warrior and entry to paradise.

Shard of Stronnos

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The **Shard of Stronnos** was a mystical artifact with the power to convert energy into matter and viceversa. It was in the power of the Watchers Council and under the care of Edna Giles and her son, even though they were actually unable to use it.

Edna's sisters, Sophie and Lavinia Fairweather, approached her so they could use the Shard to restore their lovers, which had been transformed into beings of light and trapped inside mirrors by an unidentified light demon. The demon followed the Fairweather sisters, knowing they would lead him to the Shard, which the demon wanted to make his species corporeal. Young Rupert Giles accidentally activated the Shard, making the Light Demon corporeal, and vulnerable to be killed. Afterward, Edna gave the Shard to her sisters, who kept it for decades.

Sophie and Lavinia have recently given the Shard to Angel after learning of his plan to resurrect Giles with the Tooth of Ammuk, reasoning that the Shard represents the last of Giles's childish innocence before he was forced to begin his training in magic.


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